Leo Fender spent much of 1953 working on the design of what would appear the following year as the Stratocaster. His new guitar design was even more revolutionary than the Telecaster had been a few years earlier – down through the decades, many famous players have said that seeing a Strat for the very first time was like seeing something so futuristic it must surely have fallen to earth from outer space! Our limited edition model here is likewise a wonder to behold.
Some fantastic guitars
A fellow dealer in California is just a short drive away from the Fender plant in Corona and he is occasionally offered guitars that, for various reasons, aren’t included in the regular retail production totals. Sometimes it might be a marginal overspray or slight paint run, sometimes it could be that the timber grain becomes too pronounced once the clearcoat is sprayed. There’s a whole raft of minor issues that might get a Strat or Tele knocked back at quality control. But neither we nor our dealer friend mind too much, as it means some fantastic guitars make it into our hands.
Super-thin-nitro-finished
From a limited edition run of super-thin-nitro-finished models in late 2013, this gorgeous Honeyburst Strat has absolutely everything going for it, including premium-grained Alder body, staggered pole American Strat pickups, “no-load” tone pot, (tone OFF at the 10 position), vintage-style six-point bridge, sixties style headstock and logo, vintage tint, 9.5” radiused Maple neck, jumbo frets and more. (Fender Custom Shop leather strap, limited edition neckplate, Stratocaster 60th Anniversary hard shell case…)
Honeyburst stain
We believe the intent was for the Honeyburst on the rear of the body to continue up the neck, fading away towards the headstock, however this particular slice of Maple was too hard to properly take up the Honeyburst stain evenly. This is the only reason the guitar failed to make it past quality control! We suspect the slightly uneven stain will blend away nicely with regular play, to superbly match the way the thin nitro finish on the body will age as well.
Relic
Due to California’s strict EPA regulations, Fender are only able to spray nitro a couple of times a year, so genuine nitrocellulose Strats don’t come around that often, let alone in Honeyburst! And even less in matt-nitro – like we said, this guitar is going to naturally relic beautifully.
Condition
The guitar has been previously owned – though only briefly. Our dealer friend sold it to one of his regular customers, who, not long afterwards, was forced to sell back some of his instruments to help cover a daughter’s medical bills. So although there is some very light play wear, the overall condition is superb, (Excellent++) – the plastic is still on the backplate. The case candy has never even been opened – we snuck the tremolo arm out of the packet for the photos.
Stands out from the rest
If you’ve been hunting high and low for an American Stratocaster that stands out from the rest, your search ends here! She plays smooth and fast, the pickups cover all the bases, and the spectacular Honeyburst nitro absolutely glows on the beautifully grained Alder body, immediately setting this Strat apart from most of its siblings.
One-of-a-kind
Complete with its original 60th Anniversary hard shell case & case candy, (including the very cool Fender Custom Shop leather strap), this one-of-a-kind Strat comes with FREE COURIER DELIVERY to any address in Australia. ($100 airfreight to New Zealand, $175 to the US, Canada, UK and mainstream European countries)
Weight: 7lb 12oz / 3.45kg
Just Guitars
