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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
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A copy of George Harrison's "Rocky" predating the masterbuilt limited edition was used with Fab Faux, as mentioned on Vivino's ThroBak artist page.
Q: What kind of Beatles gear are you using to recreate the songs live?
JV: The Fab Faux are forensic musicologists. We're archeologists, anthropologists, everything (laughs). I've got a historic copy of George Harrison's '57 Les Paul nick-named "Lucy", made famous by Eric Clapton using it on the solo of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", a Black '57 Gretsch Duo-Jet, a Gibson J-160E strung with flatwounds and played through an amp for the absolute sound of "I Fell Fine", a '90s Rickenbacker 325 V-59 with a Bigsby like John's, a copy of George's famous "Rocky" Fender Strat, an Epiphone Casino with newly installed SB-Special Soap Bar pickups strung with 10-49 flat wounds, plus a whole bunch more electrics and acoustics.
In the video titled "Linkin Park Rig Rundown with Mike Shinoda, Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell & Alex Feder (Brad Delson)" by Premier Guitar on YouTube, at 53:51, Alex Feder's technician, Ben, is seen showcasing Alex Feder's Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster.
On Chris' official Instagram, you can see him holding a new Stratocaster he bought at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, TN. Based on it's features and aging, I believe it is a custom shop.
Black Fender 20th Anniversary Relic Strat Custom Shop Strat.
"It's a 20th Anniversary Relic and currently my main guitar, a 2015 Custom Shop with hand-wound Fat 50's pickups. I just bought it recently and I'm absolutely thrilled. The neck is almost twice as thick as my American Deluxe. Up until now, I thought that I was into thin necks because I always played thin necks. But when I picked up the Anniversary Relic, I was particularly impressed by the neck. In the meantime, I had a Les Paul and a Telecaster, and both ended up as replacement guitars. In the end, it's always a Strat that I like best."
Ty Meyers uses a Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, specifically a Master Built Strat crafted by Dale Wilson. According to Premier Guitar's "Ty Myers Rig Rundown" by John Bohlinger, Meyers discovered this guitar at Carter's Vintage in Nashville while initially seeking a different instrument. He decided to keep the original pickups and plans to adjust the action soon.
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
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Add recommendation3 alternative and related items for Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster, curated by the Equipboard community.
$1,960.03 - $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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