Fender Custom Shop LTD '68 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic, 3-Tone Sunburst

Player's Perspective

We're honored to bring you this beautiful limited-edition Fender Custom Shop '68 Stratocaster, sporting a classic 3-color Sunburst finish and a tasteful Journeyman Relic level of aging. This is one of the most convincing vintage-inspired pieces we've had in, for sure!

Any piece coming out of their Custom Shop begs for high expectations, and this one lives up to the hype! The fretwork is precise and the action is low. The neck feels smooth and absolutely incredible to slide up and down on. Even though this is "only" a teambuild, it's quite clear that a lot of attention and care went into the making of this guitar, even down to the nitty-gritty details of the aging job.

As for the tone, well, it's not your grandfather's Strat - but he may want it to be after he hears it! It's got hand-wound Master Design "Bone-Tone" Strat pickups. This set still sounds decidedly vintage, but they have a clarity, punch, and headroom not often found in a true-vintage spec set. You can dig in hard, and the pickups will react dynamically without the notes feeling "squished". It's a great improvement on a classic sound that allows the guitar to sound authentically vintage and be applicable to modern styles of music at the same time.

When fabulous construction meets hand-wound pickups and amazing electronics, you're going to end up with a pretty fantastic guitar. This is a collector's guitar that's meant to be played just as much!

Manufacturer's Description

Master designed hand-wound Bone Tone pickups provide plenty of headroom with fewer turns of heavy formvar wire, beveled alnico 2 magnets and ’54 pickup covers. The five-way switch is connected to “½ blender” wiring, which lets the neck pickup be blended in positions 1 and 2. 

Specifications

Body

• Model Name: Custom Shop Limited '68 Journeyman Relic Stratocaster
• Country Of Origin: US
• Color: Shoreline Target 3-Tone Sunburst
• Body: 2-Piece Select Alder
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment

Neck

• Construction: Bolt-On
• Neck Material: Quartersawn Maple
• Fretboard: Quartersawn Maple
• Neck Finish: Polyurethane, Light Tint
• Neck Shape: 69 U
• Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
• Fingerboard Radius: 7.25" - 9.5" Compound
• Number of Frets: 21
• Frets Size: 6105 Narrow Tall
• String Nut: Bone
• Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
• Neck Depth @ 1st Fret: .850"
• Neck Depth @ 12th Fret: .910"
• Position Inlays: Micarta Black Dots
• Headstock Decal: '98 Malmsteen - 68-69 Strat

Electronics

• Pickups: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Master Design Bone Tone Strat Single Coils
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge 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

Hardware

• Bridge: Vintage Strat Relic Tremolo
• Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style with Fender Logo
• Control Knobs: Vintage White
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome

Miscellaneous

• Included Accessories: Deluxe Custom Shop Black Hardshell Case; Strap; Certificate of Authenticity.
• Instrument Weight: 7.6 lbs
• Serial #: CZ555374

Overall Condition

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for the Fender Custom Shop. This Limited Edition '68 Stratocaster is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer's warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you'll receive.

Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.