Fender Custom Shop 1963 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic Closet Classic Guitar, Aged Daphne Blue

PLAYER'S PERSPECTIVE

Just in - another beautiful Strat from the Fender Custom Shop! This 1963 Journeyman Relic is finished in a beautiful Aged Daphne Blue, one of the freshest Fender custom colors around, and comes with "Closet Classic"-aged hardware for the vibe of a vintage instrument that's been loved and taken care of for decades.

This one doesn't have any flashy wood choices, nor does it have an insane Relic pattern, but it has all the ingredients that make a '60s Fender Stratocaster incredible and the aesthetic touches that truly make it a convincing vintage recreation. A resonant alder body, quartersawn maple neck, and a round-laminate, 3A-figured rosewood board come together for the familiar tonal recipe found on all of your heroes' Strats. The aging on the nitro lacquer is simply perfect - it's enough to make it feel and look like a well-worn instrument, but subtle enough for it to be convincingly realistic as well as a blank canvas to tell your own story. Our favorite thing here is definitely the aging on the mint green pickguard - it's such a unique shade of green that's unmistakably vintage Fender.

The neck on this one is an absolute beast. The '63 Strat "C" profile is one of the heftier shapes we've put our hands on, starting at a familiar .830 at the first fret but going all the way up to a colossal 1.00 at the 12th - perfect for the big benders and aggressive bluesmen out there who really love to dig in and get their hands around the instrument. This profile works great in combination with the modern 9.5" neck radius and 6105 frets, which makes bending and getting a lower action much easier than a vintage 7.25". Part of the aging on this guitar is the sanded neck back, which allows for a more natural-feeling, smooth playing experience without the usual stickiness of a new gloss finish.

The hand-wound Fat '60s Strat pickups on this one capture all the bell tones, tubbiness, and quack of a good 1960s Stratocaster pickup set effortlessly, along with a little extra shot of output that allows you to punch through a modern mix better than true-vintage spec. The extra output also makes the traditionally thinner-sounding positions like the bridge pickup more usable. This is a great set for heavy blues or rock players who like to add on a little gain, but this extra thickness can be appreciated by pop and R&B players as well. Like a good amount of contemporary sets, the middle pickup is also RW/RP, which means you get no hum in the 2 and 4 positions.

You know you're getting a special instrument in your hands any time you pick up something built by Fender's Custom Shop team, and this guitar is sure to not only meet but exceed your expectations.

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