When we first saw this guitar at a special dealer event in California, a collective smile formed across our faces. The elusive pink paisley revealed itself from across the hall and we were puled like moths to the flame. Our hands grabbed her, and we said yes, yes, and yes...we shall be taking you home with us. And home she has come...
This extremely limited run is based on the 1968 Fender Stratocaster that was made famous by the icons of the late 60's. Jimi Hendrix would have dreamt of this instrument and we are lucky enough to have this morsel become a reality. The neck has a bit of gravitas to her. It is a 1963 "C" shape and a large one at that. The shoulders are full and really help contribute to the bass this instrument can deliver.Â
The mixed pickups are one of our favorite combinations the Custom Shop puts out. This is truly a tone swiss army knife able to capture a plethora of sonic pictures with the flip of your five way. The neck pickup is very powerful. There is a round bass attack and a nice push that comes forward with it (Hand wound '69). The middle pickup delivers a nice punch as well while retaining a bit of the 'glassy' tone we love on that pickup (Handwound Fat 50's). And the bridge pickup is of course glorious and not at all too harsh with the hand wound Texas Special softening the edges.Â
The finish is of course spectacular. We almost feel underdressed when playing this guitar. Its as if you are taking out your lady in her finest and you almost...almost want to throw on that tuxedo and bellbottoms. The reliving is done extremely well and tracing the bubbles and finish cracks are a strange joy. The neck is left with just a slight finish on her but otherwise untouched so if you prefer a bit of finish left on then this is a wonderful example!
The two-piece alder body wears a Relic lacquer finish that will wear in a distinctly personal way. The lightly tinted riftsawn maple neck sports a urethane finish and medium-tinted lacquer headstock face just like the originals. The c-shaped profile is comfortable for any playing style and the 9.5-radius round-lam maple fingerboard hosts 21 6105 frets. The 3-ply, paisley covered parchment pickguard hosts a trio of hand-wound single-coil pickups for authentic Fender tone: a Texas Special bridge pickup, RWRP Fat 50s middle pickup to reduce hum and a 69 neck pickup, all tied together with Vintage Modified #2 wiring.
Other features include an American Vintage synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut and wing string tree with nylon spacer. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity.
