Fender Custom Shop 1962 Stratocaster - Heavy Relic - Vintage White

Some guitars look like they have a story, and this Fender Custom Shop 1962 Stratocaster wears its history proudly. The Vintage White lacquer finish has been given the Heavy Relic treatment, with wear that looks earned over decades of gigs, and the lacquer back matches. The alder body weighs 7lbs 13oz, light enough to forget about on a long night, and the whole guitar has the lived-in warmth of a vintage original. A 60s style nitro pickguard, nickel/chrome hardware, the 60s headstock, and vintage tuners with the Fender logo complete a look that’s pure early-60s Strat.

Pick it up and the quartersawn maple neck is immediately comfortable. The 60s style oval “C” carve, .790" at the first fret to .930" at the 12th, feels slim and fast without being thin, and the nitrocellulose finish has a smooth, broken-in feel. The rosewood fingerboard has a 9.5" radius, so chords feel natural and bends stay clean, and the narrow tall 6105 frets make it easy to dig in or glide through lead lines. A 1.650" bone nut keeps open strings ringing, and the white Micarta dots on the face and side of the neck keep the look classic and understated.

Plug in and the HW 60/63 pickup set brings the glassy, chimey voice that made early-60s Strats famous. The reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup gives you hum-cancelling in the in-between positions of the 5-position blade switch, and the master volume and two tone controls make it easy to shape everything from sparkling cleans to a bit of grit. The American Vintage Strat bridge keeps it classic and responsive, and it comes home in a Fender brown case.