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Description
The Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster is a distinguished member of the electric guitar family, revered for its exceptional craftsmanship and timeless sound. Handcrafted in Fender's Custom Shop, this Stratocaster embodies the pinnacle of guitar artistry, combining vintage aesthetics with modern playability. It features a select alder or ash body, which provides a balanced tonal range, from bright, crisp highs to warm, resonant lows, making it a versatile choice for any musical style.
The neck is crafted from premium maple, with a smooth satin finish that ensures effortless playability across the fretboard. Its comfortable "C" shape is designed to fit naturally in your hand, allowing for extended play without fatigue. Custom-wound pickups deliver a rich, articulate sound that pays homage to the legendary tones of classic Stratocasters, while offering enhanced clarity and dynamic response for today's musicians.
Whether you're on stage or in the studio, the Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster promises reliability and performance. Its vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge provides smooth action for subtle vibratos or more intense dives, without sacrificing tuning stability. Each instrument is meticulously inspected and set up by Fender's master builders, guaranteeing that your guitar is ready to inspire from the moment you pick it up.
Key Features:
- Handcrafted in Fender's Custom Shop
- Select alder or ash body for balanced tonal range
- Maple neck with "C" shape profile and satin finish
- Custom-wound pickups for rich, articulate sound
- Vintage-style synchronized tremolo bridge
- Meticulously inspected and set up by master builders
Videos
Ola Englund
MY GUITAR - FENDER CUSTOM SHOP STRATOCASTER
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster.
Features and functionality
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Direct-mounted pickups reportedly offer unique overtones, especially when played with high drive.
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The SD Seth Lover pickup in the neck position is praised for its exceptional tone.
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Texas Special pickups are preferred by some owners for their tonal qualities compared to other options like Fat '50s.
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Comparisons
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The guitar is likened to a Nashville Tele with a "Keef" style HB at the neck, combining Strat and Tele elements.
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Build quality
User experience
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 6 Reviews and 26 Ratings
2423
awesome custom
I got a custom strat some time ago. It has a Floyd rose, a Gretsch steel guitar bridge pickup and Seymour Duncan Antiquity Lap Steel middle pickup and a Lace Alumitone single coil neck pickup. It also has a in/out of phase switch and is in a heavy relic 2 tone sunburst finish.
250
I love it!
I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! I love it! :D
An ugly purple sparkle but a beautiful tone!
Picked up on a whim at a music expo in Sydney, this Strat instantly "spoke" to me. A little on the heavy side, even unplugged it seems much cleaner and richer sounding than most other Strats I've played or owned.
Artist usage
Add artistJohn Mayer originally tweeted about this guitar on February 19, 2014 saying:
"Fender Custom Shop made this nickel plated Strat...believe it or not, it sounds incredible." - (@JohnMayer)
Also, he spoke briefly of this guitar on a Periscope post entitled "Gear Talk." (Fast forward to about the 2:30 mark to see this guitar specifically.)
Billie Joe Armstrong starting using Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster for playing all song from Nimrod in E Standard.
In 1997, Billie Joe Armstrong ordered "Blue" replica and other Stratocaster called "Frankenstein" in Shell Pink (which can see on Howard Stern Show and 1998 MTV New Year Eve's), There all guitar was smashed/turned out into other guitar (confirmed by Bill Schneider), "Blue" replica and shell pink "Frankenstein" guitar no longer used since 2000.
"Blue" replica has left handed bridge with GraphTech Saddles. Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB humbucker with 9 holes pickguard and neck has sanded off Fender logo on headstock (later he replace with another Stratocaster neck with Fender logo). The guitar is bulit by Alex Perez from Fender Custom Shop.
In this Instagram post by andrewbennettredux, Eddie Van Halen is seen playing a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster.
In this post jim shows off his fender custom shop 69 strat. His strat is fitted with a pair of emg pickups as well as a floyd rose bridge
Thomas DeLonge owns several Fender Custom Shop Stratocasters from 1999 to 2003, including a natural finish model crafted by Alex Perez, as shown in the user-uploaded photo.
In this video Josh is rehersing with his Fender Custom Silver Stratocaster with a matching headstock. He had it made with a neck replicating his black strat ' gus ' which has a super skinny neck. He had a least three made with that neck, a silver, gold and pink.
And at the end of this video Josh gives an overview of his silver strat
During the 2022 tour Justin can be seen playing a green custom Strat that has 2 EMG style pickups and gold hardware.
Dave uses three Custom Shop Stratocasters, according to Guitar Geek's rig diagram.
As listed as part of his studio gear on PremierGuitars "In the Studio with Linkin Park", the Fender Custom Shop 1962 Stratocaster is used by Brad Delson.
Album Usage
The Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
Show yoursSimilar
Add recommendation3 alternative and related items for Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, curated by the Equipboard community.
$1,940.40 - $2,499.99
With the American Vintage II Strat, Fender has now brought back the quintessential 1961 model with unparalleled authenticity. Built with alder and maple, and rosewood tonewoods and featuring an exclusive trio of single-coil Strat pickups, the ’61 Strat is a perfect emulation of a beloved axe classic. Considering it retains the same “C” neck profile and familiar fretboard access, holding an American Vintage II guitar feels akin to wielding an instrument rife with legendary 20th-century tone.
I have owned a Fender Custom Shop strat. At about 1/4 of the price, the Shijie that I own blows it out of the water. I'm not going to say that all Shijie STE's are Fender custom shop quality but the one that I own definitely is. I highly recommend this brand.
$2,179.00
Nash is not cheap by any means. They clock at around $2600 new, but that is still a lot less than a Fender CS which could set you back $5K depending on the amount of aging / relic. I've owned a Fender CS Strat and my Nash S57 (based on 57' strat obviously) is every bit as good as the Fender CS that I owned. I highly recommend Nash.
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julianwolf2Gear IQ 13060
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