• Model: 1959 Stratocaster Reissue
• Finish: 3-Colour Sunburst
• Ageing: Super Heavy Relic
• Body: 2-Piece Alder
• Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck: Rift-Sawn Maple
• Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Fingerboard: AAA Rosewood, Flat-Lam
• Neck Profile: ’65 Strat C
• Neck Depth: .820" at 1st Fret / .974" at 12th Fret
• Fingerboard Radius: 10"
• Frets: 21 Medium Vintage
• Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650"
• Side Dots: Micarta White 3/32"
• Headstock: Small Vintage-Style
• Neck Joint: 4-Bolt
• Truss Rod: Early ’60s Style
• Pickup Configuration: SSS
• Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Tomatillo Neck/Middle
• Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Tomatillo Neck/Middle
• Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Poblano Strat
• Controls: Master Volume, 2 x Tone
• Switching: 5-Way Blade Pickup Selector
• Electronics: Strat Modern Wiring
• Bridge: American Vintage Stratocaster Tremolo, Relic
• Tremolo Arm: Vintage Upgraded ’60s Relic
• Tuners: Vintage-Style Relic
• Pickguard: ’60s Strat Nitro Green, Relic
• Plastics: White Relic
• Hardware: Aged Chrome / Nickel
• Case: Original Fender Custom Shop Strat / Tele Brown Hardshell Case
• Certificate of Authenticity: Included
• Shop Floor Traveller: Included
• Country: USA
• Year: 2021

This is an exceptional Super Heavy Relic Strat and one of those Custom Shop examples where the ageing work really stands out. The 3-Colour Sunburst has been taken back convincingly through multiple layers of finish, with extensive checking, edge wear and exposed timber creating the look of a genuinely hard-used vintage instrument. The relic work is unusually detailed and has the sort of depth and realism often associated with some of Fender’s best Masterbuilt pieces.

The neck specification is equally interesting. Fender paired a rift-sawn maple neck with a dark AAA rosewood flat-lam board, a substantial ’65 Strat C profile and a 10" radius. Measuring .820" at the first fret and .974" at the twelfth, it has plenty of substance without feeling excessively bulky, while the more modern radius makes bending and lead work noticeably easier than a completely period-correct vintage setup.

The pickup set is another highlight. Hand-wound Tomatillo pickups in the neck and middle positions give plenty of open, woody Strat character, while the hand-wound Poblano bridge pickup adds a little more push and authority where it counts. Combined with modern Strat wiring, it is a very usable specification underneath the extreme vintage aesthetic.

The factory paperwork does not identify this as a Masterbuilt instrument, so it would be misleading to claim that provenance outright. What can be said is that the quality of the relic work is outstanding and, visually, is absolutely on the level of some Masterbuilt examples we have handled.

Mint condition beyond the intentional Fender Custom Shop Super Heavy Relic treatment. The extensive checking, chips, exposed timber, worn finish and aged hardware are all deliberate factory ageing rather than subsequent damage. No noteworthy additional wear or issues to mention. Supplied with its original Fender Custom Shop brown hardshell case, certificate of authenticity and Shop Floor Traveller.

https://www.youtube.com/@squealingpigguitars