Fender Custom Shop LTD '64 Stratocaster Relic, Aged Candy Apple Red

Fender Custom Shop LTD '64 Stratocaster Relic, Aged Candy Apple Red Overview

Combining an iconic tone with a captivating aesthtic, this limited edition Fender Custom Shop '64 Stratocaster Relic in Candy Apple Red is bound to impress. As you’d expect from a guitar made by the Fender Custom Shop, this instrument has been made by world-class luthiers using the finest tonewoods and components available.

Classic Feel & Sound

The body of this '64 Strat has been carefully crafted from a specially selected piece of Alder, which was chosen for its lighter weight, and sculpted to a classic '65 Strat body style. Alder has been a staple Fender tonewood for decades due to its full, balanced and articulate tone. The era-correct thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish allows the tonewood to “breathe” and freely vibrate, enhancing the tone whilst providing the guitar with a timeless look.

The Quarter Sawn Roasted Maple neck has a dark, distinctive appearance that separates it from the pack. Roasted Maple not only improves the neck’s stability, making it more resistant to temperature changes, it also improves sustain and resonance. Tonally, Roasted Maple caters for the crispness and quick note attack that you’d associate with a premium Strat. The '63 Strat “C” profile provides a comfortable playing experience that’s suited to a wide range of styles and techniques.

The neck is paired with a buttery smooth AAA Rosewood, which is topped with 21 Narrow Tall 6105 frets. The 6105 fret strikes a balance between the feel of a smaller, vintage-style fret and a more modern one.

Gorgeous Worn-In Look

This '64 Strat has undergone the Fender Custom Shop’s Relic treatment, which gives it the endearing worn-in wear of a faithful workhorse guitar from the '60s. If you’re looking for a guitar with an authentically vintage look and feel, this '64 Strat has it in spades. From the oxidised hardware to the various dings and dents, every part of this guitar has a story to tell.

The back of this '64 Strat’s neck has had its finish removed from the 1st to the 12th fret (as you’d find on a Heavy Relic model) for that satin-smooth feel that you’d get from a guitar that’s been extensively played over many years.

Iconic Strat Tone

Catering for this Fender Custom Shop '64 Strat’s classic sound are a trio of handwound '64 Strat single-coils, which are authentic recreations of '60s Fender pickups. These pickups are a key part of this Strat’s sonic charm, delivering the clear highs, warm mids and defined lows that define a '64 Strat’s tone. The middle pickup’s reverse-wound/reverse-polarity wiring promotes hum cancellation, resulting in a clearer, cleaner tone.

Modern Reliability

Compared to a Stratocaster that was built in the '60s, which can reach an astronomical price and require rigorous maintenance, this Custom Shop model gives you that “Golden Era” charm with all the reliability of a modern instrument. Made with premium components and constructed by the Custom Shop’s expert luthiers, you can count on this '64 Strat for frequent live and studio use.

If you want a '60s Stratocaster with a subtle modern edge to its playability, this limited-edition 1964 Custom Shop model is well worth your attention.