Exceptional Guitars

Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster Heavy Relic with Case - Faded Aged Tahitian Coral - 923-5000-820

Description

1959 was a year of transition for the venerable Strat®. In May of '59 Fender revised the way necks were made, switching from a one-piece maple neck to maple capped with a "slab" rosewood fingerboard. Fender also changed the pickguard, moving from 1-ply construction to the current three-ply material, and upped the number of screws from eight to 11, which also necessitated changing the body's control route. These changes didn't happen overnight; many guitars exist that show various combinations of these features, which makes them extremely rare and collectible. Reflecting these historic idiosyncrasies, the maple fingerboard model sports a 1-ply, 9-hole Parchment pickguard while the rosewood fingerboard model sports 3-ply, 10-hole Mint Green nitro pickguard.

The two-piece alder body wears a Heavy Relic lacquer finish, giving it the look and feel of a well-loved guitar that's seen countless stages, while the tinted riftsawn maple neck is fast-playing and comfortable, thanks to the "'63 C" neck profile, 9.5"-radius fingerboard and 21 6105 frets. The trio of Hand-Wound Fat '50s single-coil pickups includes a reverse-wound/reverse-polarity middle pickup to reduce hum. Other features include five-way switch, Vintage Modified #2 wiring, American Vintage synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut and wing string tree. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity.

Specifications
Colour: Faded Aged Tahitian Coral
Body: Alder
Body Finish: Lacquer
Body Shape: Stratocaster®
Neck Material: Maple Rift Sawn with Rosewood Fingerboard
Neck Finish: Tinted Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Shape: 1963 "C"
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
Number of Frets: 21
Frets Size: 6105 Narrow Tall
String Nut: Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Position Inlays: Vintage Clay Dot
Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat®
Middle Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s RWRP Single-Coil Strat®
Neck Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat®
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup Position 3. Middle Pickup Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup Position 5. Neck Pickup
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Bridge: American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style with Fender Logo
Pickguard: 3-Ply Mint Green Relic®
Control Knobs: Vintage White Relic®
Strings: Nickel Plated Steel .010-.046 Gauges
Included Accessories: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Strap, Certificate of Authenticity