Retro Looks and Roasted Tonewoods
Brandishing a premium pairing of roasted tonewoods, the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS guides the time-tested ’50s Stratocaster formula through a choice set of modern detours. First off, this guitar’s 2-piece alder body and chunky large “C” quarter-sawn maple neck are both roasted — a process that dramatically reduces moisture content, resulting in lighter weight and a more resonant response. The flat-lam rosewood fingerboard’s 9.5-inch radius and 21 narrow-tall frets then supplies you with a slick feel for smooth, supple bends from the first fret all the way up to the 21st. Under the hood, a trio of Custom Shop hand-wound Fat ’50s Stratocaster pickups embolden the clear, bell-like snap of the Strat’s first decade with a thicker and more authoritative voice. It’s all bookended by classic vintage-style Fender tuning machines and a Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo unit. For the guitarist hunting after a factory-fresh Strat that merges vintage-style tone with modern performance, you’d be hard-pressed to beat the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS.
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Substantial large “C” maple neck
Here’s one for the baseball-bat neck fanatics — the Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS’ quarter-sawn maple neck comes comfortably carved into a Large “C” profile to provide a full and robust feel. Substantial but never obtrusive, this profile is a favorite among Sweetwater’s old-school Fender fanatics, with many believing a fuller neck directly leads to increased sustain. Moreover, this neck’s rosewood fingerboard boasts a 9.5-inch radius and narrow-tall frets — specs that will feel far more comfortable to the guitarist whose playability preferences lie well outside of the mid-20th century!
Custom Shop Fat '50s pickups
This Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS can pull double duty either as a rhythm machine, a lead monster, or both. A trio of Fat '50s pickups from the Fender Custom Shop deliver beefy vintage-style tone with enhanced bass response and balanced midrange that’s never harsh. These pickups look and sound period correct with staggered hand-beveled alnico magnets and formvar magnet wire for refined harmonic response to dynamics. The middle Fat '50 is reverse wound, a welcome modern touch that cuts pickup hum when playing in position 2 or 4. Fat '50s are often called a workhorse pickup that are balanced but never flat or bland. With three of them and a 5-way pickup selector, there are endless tones to explore. Plus, these pickups were built with period-correct cloth wire and fiber bobbins, proof of Fender’s immaculate attention to detail.
The Dream Factory
Since its founding in 1987, the Fender Custom Shop has been home to some of the finest luthiers in the world. Whether you’re picking up a vintage callback like this Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS or having them build-to-order the Fender of your dreams, the Custom Shop earns its nickname — the Dream Factory — with every masterpiece they create. Custom Shop instruments are made from only the highest-grade, hand-selected materials, including impeccable tonewoods, high-end electronics, and premium hardware.
Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition Roasted Stratocaster Special NOS Features:
- 2-piece roasted alder body offers a lightweight feel and superb resonance
- Roasted quartersawn maple neck carved into a rather chunky large “C” profile
- Flat-lam rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5-inch radius and narrow-tall frets to please guitarists who favor a modern playing experience
- 3 Custom Shop hand-wound Fat ’50s Stratocaster pickups unleash a hot-rodded twist on the bell-like highs and bouncing bass of an early Stratocaster
- Glittering gold anodized aluminum pickguard
- Incredibly reliable hardware combo of a Custom Shop vintage synchronized tremolo and classic vintage-style Fender tuners
- Factory-fresh NOS nitrocellulose lacquer finish
