I sorta blew my NGD post a couple of days ago when I asked a silly question about it before I got it...so heres my official NGD post. Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition 1968 Relic Stratocaster. Ive wanted a 68 Custom shop for about 23 years, when I first discovered they existed (in a Fender Frontline mag from 99). I'm a Hendrix deciple, so for years Ive lusted after a black one with a maple neck (the BOG Machine Gun Strat!) Here it is. Ive copy and pasted the specs down below. I gotta say, the handwound pickups from FCS sound uttery incredible. I cant belive how good they sound. Theres only one thing I dont love about it. The headstock being a different colour to the rest of the neck. I know its period correct (headstock face is nitro, rest of the neck is poly) but I sort of wish the entire neck was poly. Other than that, its perfect. I never saw myself as getting a relic (i dont dislike them, i actually wanted a journeyman relic) But i think the relicing is quite tastefully done. Regardless, I love it. Its my first ever FCS guitar and hopefully not the last. Specs: Relic® Lacquer Finish 2-Piece Select Alder Body Tinted Rift Sawn Maple Neck with Round-Lam Maple Fingerboard 1969 "U" Back-Shape 9.5" Radius 21 Narrow Tall (6105) Frets Hand-Wound '69 Strat® (Neck), RWRP Fat 50's (Middle), and Texas Special (Bridge) Pickups Vintage Modified #2 Wiring with Tone-Saver Bleed 5-Way Switch 3-Ply Parchment Pickguard Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo Schaller "F" Tuning Machines Bone Nut Wing String Tree with Nylon Spacer Deluxe Hardshell Case Strap Certificate of Authenticity.
As I said in your other post I think it's a thing of beauty ... other than that headstock face and 9.5 radius of course and I've seen much more pronounced tinting on other headstocks than on that one. I'm on the lookout for one also but I'm keeping an eye for the NOS model with the full vintage specs as my tribute to Blackmore's black '68. Ridiculous that the CS will sell you the same guitar just with the nut the other way round and finished in white, label it with a Hendrix connection and charge about three times more. They did the same with Ritchie's connection to the late '60s maple cap a few years back. Other than a fatter trem arm and the COA it's the same instrument... just three times the price. I hope you got a great deal on yours and again, looks fantastic.
Yeah Ive seen more pronounced headstock tints aswell. It seems odd to me that FCS will spray a 68 in non period correct nitro, but wont bend on the poly neck. But, thats the great thing about them: theres something everyone, and if it doesnt exist, they'll make it for you. I actually know an extremely skilled Luthier who works with nitro. Ive been talking to him about refinishing the neck in nitro. I trust his craftsmanship completely and know if I decide to do it, he will do a top notch job. But im still deciding whether its worth it. I was happy to get the 9.5 as my other strat (a 2006 AVRI 70's strat) is 7.5. Its a nice change, but not as massive of a difference I expected. Oh, and yes, I did get a good deal on it.
Congratulations on getting your dream guitar. A real beauty and I bet she sounds every bit as good as she looks.
