Fender’s Custom Shop Limited-edition ’61 Stratocaster Heavy Relic captures everything great about a vintage classic, but with a few performance-minded modern refinements. The resonant alder body and stunning quartersawn maple/rosewood neck are finished in the Custom Shop’s Heavy Relic for a well-worn vintage vibe. 3 overwound Fat 60’s pickups deliver all the bell-like highs and round lows you could ever ask for, and the reverse-wound reverse-polarity middle pickup helps to deter 60-cycle hum in the 2 and 4 positions. Plus, the modernized narrow-tall frets in a 9.5-inch radius offer a serious playability upgrade, making this Custom Shop Strat the best of both the vintage and modern worlds.
When channeling the sound of one of the first-ever mass-produced 6-strings, special attention needs to be given to the electronics. That's why Fender equipped the ’61 Stratocaster Heavy Relic with three spectacular Fat '60s single-coil pickups to deliver the spank, twang, and grit of an original model. The overwound design gives these pickups extra low-end punch for an added shot of high-octane attitude. Spec'd with beveled alnico 2 magnets, Custom Shop Fat '60s pickups capture the sound of aged pickups from the early ‘60s — warm lows, rich midrange, and mellow highs — for sumptuous vintage-inspired tone. The middle pickup is also reverse-wound reverse-polarity (RWRP) for hum cancellation in positions 2 or 4.
There’s a reason why the “C” profile neck has served as the standard Fender neck shape for decades — it’s simply a great middle-ground neck style that all types of players have come to love. That being said, the “C” has quite a few minor variations, and if you’re a player that likes a slightly chunkier neck, you’ll love the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition ’61 Stratocaster Heavy Relic’s ‘60s Oval “C” profile. This profile offers all the comfort of a standard “C”, but with a greater heft to better fill out your hand. Plus, this vintage-style neck is outfitted with a variety of modern appointments: 21 vintage-tall frets in a modern 9.5-inch radius make anything from open chords to high-register bends a breeze.
The Fender Custom Shop's Heavy Relic treatment starts with a period-correct nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Nitro finishes — standard back in the day — are significantly thinner than today's polyurethane finishes, allowing the guitar to breathe. Relic'd guitars are then put through the aging process to give you an axe that looks and feels like it's seen decades of frontline action. The process creates instruments that are spitting images of the originals. Without sneaking a look at the neck heel stamps, you'd be hard-pressed to distinguish the Fender Custom Shop ’61 Stratocaster Heavy Relic from the real deal.
This Fender Custom Limited 1961 Stratocaster Heavy Relic features a traditional alder body, quartersawn "roasted" maple neck and a comfortable Mid 60's Oval "C" profile. An open sounding, bright instrument with a fast attack, balanced by a set of Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat 60's Single Coil pickups with soft, vintage trebles. The circuitry is a Vintage Modified Stratocaster # 2, which consists in a Treble Bleed on the Master Volume, which allows to adjust the volume without altering its equalization.
Body Type | Solidbody |
---|---|
Body Shape | Stratocaster |
Left-/Right-handed | Right-handed |
Number of Strings | 6 |
Body Material |
Alder |
Body Finish |
Nitrocellulose Lacquer Heavy Relic |
Color |
Aged Fiesta Red Over 3-Colour Sunburst |
Neck Material |
Roasted Quartersawn Maple |
Neck Shape |
Mid 60's Oval "C" |
Radius | 9.5" |
Fingerboard Material |
Flat-Lam Dark Rosewood |
Fingerboard Inlay | Micarta White Dots |
Number of Frets | 21, 6105, Narrow Tall |
Scale Length | 25.5" |
Nut Width | 1.650" |
Nut Material | Bone |
Bridge/Tailpiece | Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo |
Tuners | Fender Vintage Style Tuning Machines |
Neck Pickup |
Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat 60's Single Coil |
Middle Pickup |
Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat 60's Single Coil RWRP |
Bridge Pickup |
Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat 60's Single Coil |
Controls |
1 x Master Volume, 2 x tone, 5-way blade pickup switch |
Strings | Fender USA, .010-.046 |
Case Included |
Deluxe Hardshell Case including C.O.A. and Case Candy |
Manufacturer Part Number | 9231012836 |