
Fender Custom Shop Vintage Custom 1959 Stratocaster Hardtail Time Capsule Faded Aged Sonic Blue
1959 saw the advent of several important feature changes to the Stratocaster, including a slab rosewood fingerboard with clay position dots, a three-ply mint green pickguard with 8, 9 or 10 screws depending on the month it was built, and a metal spacer added to the string tree. This hardtail version would have been on the rare side, which ups the collectability and cool factors.It features a hand-selected two-piece alder body and a rift-sawn maple neck with a 1959 "D" profile, a vintage compound-radius (7.25" - 9.5") rosewood fingerboard and 21 medium vintage frets. Super comfortable to play, this Strat is a dream come true for anyone that prefers a hardtail over a normal tremolo-equipped Strat.
It's done in the Time Capsule package, where the finish is a Flash Coat Nitrocellulose Lacquer and the hardware is faded slightly (Closet Classic). The Custom Shop has nailed this process, to create the look of a vintage guitar that was never played - it's like it came out of the factory yesterday, if yesterday was 65 years ago. Hence the "Time Capsule" moniker.
Handwound 1959 Strat pickups are wired to a vintage '59 control assembly and five-way switch. Normally, handwound pickups are a significant upcharge, but they are thrown in on this one. Built to evoke the original era of the Fender Stratocaster, these single-coil '59 Strat pickups produce a round, warm tone with a sweet edge. These pickups are wax-potted, and feature period-correct cloth wire and fiber bobbin construction. Formvar-coated magnet wire improves overall brightness, Alnico 5 magnets add more focus and enhanced dynamics, and staggered pole pieces balance volume and output across every string.
- PART # 9235001542
- SERIAL # R136013
- WEIGHT: 7.3 lbs
- SERIES: Vintage Custom
- FINISH PACKAGE: TIME CAPSULE
- COLOR: Faded Aged Sonic Blue
- PICKGUARD: 3-Ply Mint Green
- BODY: 2-Piece Select Alder
- SORT FOR LIGHTWEIGHT
- BODY FINISH: Nitrocellulose Lacquer - Flash Coat
- NECK MATERIAL: Rift Sawn Maple
- NECK FINISH: Nitrocellulose Lacquer - Flash Coat
- TINT: MEDIUM
- NECK SHAPE: 1959 "D"
- DEPTH AT 1ST FRET: .800"
- DEPTH AT 12TH FRET: .980"
- SCALE LENGTH: 25.5"
- NUT WIDTH: 1.650" (42 mm)
- NUT MATERIAL: Bone
- REMOVE "SYNCHRONIZED TREMOLO" FROM DECAL
- FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Flat-Laminated Rosewood
- SORT FOR DARK ROSEWOOD
- FINGERBOARD RADIUS: 7.25" to 9.5" Vintage Compound Radius
- NUMBER OF FRETS: 21
- FRET SIZE: Jescar Medium Vintage (47095)
- POSITION INLAYS: Vintage Clay Dot
- SIDE DOTS: Vintage Clay
- BRIDGE PICKUP: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '59 Single-Coil Strat®
- MIDDLE PICKUP: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '59 Single-Coil Strat®
- NECK PICKUP: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '59 Single-Coil Strat®
- PICKUP CONFIGURATION: SSS
- CONTROLS: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
- SWITCHING: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
- HARDWARE FINISH: Nickel/Chrome
- TUNING MACHINES: Vintage-Style
- BRIDGE: 6-Saddle Hardtail with "Pat. Pend." Saddles
- CONTROL KNOBS: Vintage White
- SWITCH TIP: Vintage White
- INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Strap and Certificate of Authenticity