• Model: Custom Shop ’60s Stratocaster Relic
• Finish: Fiesta Red Relic
• Body: Alder
• Neck: Maple
• Neck Profile: Early-’60s “C”
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Inlays: Clay Dots
• Radius: 9.5"
• Frets: Refretted with Jescar 47095S
• Nut: Bone
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Pickups: Fender Custom Shop Strat Single-Coil Set
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1, Tone 2, 5-Way Selector
• Bridge: Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
• Tuners: Vintage-Style
• Hardware: Nickel / Chrome
• Relic Work: Vince Cunetto Era Ageing
• Neck Heel Stamp: JC Cruz
• Case: Original Fender Custom Shop Case
• Country: USA
• Year: 1997

This is a very cool early relic-era Custom Shop Strat and one that sits in a really important period of Fender history. The Cunetto-era guitars have their own following for good reason, because these were the instruments that really established the relic concept as something people actively wanted rather than just tolerated. Vince Cunetto handled the ageing work for Fender’s early Custom Shop relics in the mid-to-late ’90s, and those guitars have a look and feel that is very recognisable now — slightly different from later Fender relic work, and often a bit more hand-done and individual in character. That is a big part of why players and collectors still chase them.

Beyond that history, it is also just a very attractive Strat. Fiesta Red with a rosewood board is always a brilliant combination, and on a Cunetto-era guitar it has exactly the right kind of worn custom-colour feel. The JC Cruz stamp on the heel is another nice detail too, as it ties the guitar back to one of the names associated with Fender’s Custom Shop work from that period. The Jescar 47095S refret is a worthwhile plus from a player’s perspective as well, helping keep the guitar feeling fresh and usable. The pickups are also worth noting, as they appear original visually but have been replaced at some point and then returned back to original spec, which keeps the guitar visually correct while being honest about its history. A really desirable Custom Shop Strat from one of the most interesting eras of Fender relic production.

Excellent condition. Refretted with Jescar 47095S wire. Pickups have been replaced at some point in the guitar’s life and later returned back to original specification. Presents very cleanly overall with only light signs of use beyond the original relic finish. A very well-kept Cunetto-era example.

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