Fender Custom Shop "59 Special" Stratocaster Journeyman Relic Super Faded Sonic Blue

Limited Edition '59 Special

Uniting the coolest vintage features with modern favorites, the Limited Edition Journeyman Relic "'59 Special" Strat is an exceptional guitar that could only spring from the hands at the Fender Custom Shop. This tasteful combination of ingredients has been thoughtfully selected for authentic, flexible Fender tone, premium playing feel and stunning style that's ready for any stage, large or small.

The standout feature on this guitar is the gorgeous flame maple (AAA) neck.  The Custom Shop picked out a piece of maple with incredible grain.  Not only does it look great, but it also feels amazing.  We went with the '59 C neck shape, which is slim, but not super skinny.  You can play fast up & down the neck, but with enough of a "grip" to make it super comfortable.  It's capped with a slab rosewood fretboard (sorted for a darkeness) that has the modernized tweak of a 9.5" radius and jumbo frets for easy playability.  While the rest of the guitar is a Journeyman (light) Relic, we went with a Heavy Relic treatment for the back of the neck.  This gives it an extremely "broken in" feel.  

The body is lighweight alder with dep contours.  Weighing in at just 7.6 lbs, this is the type of Strat that will be easy to keep strapped on all night.  It's a Journeyman Relic, so it has the look and feel you'd expect from a guitar that's survived since 1959 while being taken care of and not abused.  So, you get some small dings and normal player wear but nothing major.  As an added touch, we went for heavy checking to really give it a vintage vibe.

The other calling card that this guitar waves is sure to catch the eye of anyone that favors hot pickups - it has Handwound Ancho Poblano pickups.  These are individually calibrated from neck to bridge, and uniquely overwound by hand for a wide range of high-output tones, ranging from blistering hot output to sizzling vintage warmth, with plenty of flexibility.  The wiring on this guitar also provides a lot of flexibility - you can roll down the volume without losing definition, you can roll down the tone to reduce treble but not adding bass, and you have the opportunity to blend the bridge and neck pickups.  This makes for a very versatile instrument, where you adjust everything to achieve the exact sound you want.

Other features include a '59 Strat style 3-ply Mint Green pickguard (8 hole), American Vintage Strat tremolo assembly, and period correct tuners.

Includes a "Limited Edition" engraved neck plate, Certificate of Authenticity and deluxe hardshell case.

This design originally debuted as part of a mid-year run in 2016 as a limited edition model from the Custom Shop.  We had one then and have continued to reorder it - it's just too cool not to keep it going!  Come to Truetone Music to give it try, or order right here right now.