Resonant Lightweight Woods A guitar is only as good as the wood it’s built from which is why we requested specifically chosen lightweight Ash for these guitars. They’ve also got single-piece, quartersawn Maple necks to ensure you get that classic Strat feel and more importantly, the brilliant, clear tonal response. The fretboard is the warmer sounding Rosewood - it's also the laminate-style fretboard rather than the veneer which appeared in the 60s. The body finish is a standard relic though the neck has a heavy relic finish for that beautiful worn-in feel with the comfortable feeling rolled fret edges. The John English 59 Neck The neck is a 59 transition shape with an interesting story. John English (The legendary Fender Custom Shop Master builder) carved a neck based on a late 1959 neck. This neck feels slightly chunkier than a modern neck but not as fat as a 54 and we fell in love with it. This neck is so rarely used that it doesn't even have a part number from the Fender Custom Shop! It's got the modern 9.5” radius that makes it still feel like a breeze to play and the frets are narrow and tall. This means you’ll never struggle with those big bends, even if you prefer to use heavier strings. Mischief Maker Pickups The Mischief Maker pickups were chosen for these Custom Shop Strats because they've been our favourites to come out of the Fender Custom Shop in the last few years. They're hot and clear with a bell-like top-end but without ever sounding shrill. The ultimate Strat Pickup set? They may well be that. You've got a Texas Special in the Bridge for a bit of twang and attack. And the 65 middle pickup and 69 neck pickup mellow each other beautifully - especially in the holy grail 2nd position where you get those spanky SRV-esque tones. Specifications Body Body wood: Lightweight Ash Finish: Relic Nitro-Cellulose Neck Neck Shape: 59 John English Strat Neck Shape Neck Finish: Heavy Relic Radius: 9.5 Neck Wood: Maple Truss Rod: 60s Dots: Clay Fret Wire: 6105 Number of frets: 21 Nut: Bone 4-Bolt neck join Hardware Hardware Finish: Chrome/Nickel Standard Strat Tremolo Vintage Fender Tuners Electronics Bridge Pickup: Texas Special Middle Pickup: Reverse 65 Strat Neck Pickup: 69 Strat Wiring: Strat Vintage Modern Wiring #2 (master volume, tone 1 for neck and middle, tone 2 for bridge) Other Case: Tweed Custom Shop Case Certificate of Authenticity Fender Custom Shop 'Traveller' Case Candy