Fender Custom Shop 1968 Stratocaster DLX Closet Classic Electric Guitar, Maple FB, 3-Color Sunburst

New for 2023, the Fender Custom Shop introduces the '68 Stratocaster Deluxe Closet Classic Maple. 55 years after its namesake predecessor, the instrument is loaded with lightly aged looks, sound and vibe that expertly evokes the Stratocaster in the late 1960s.

Its two-piece select alder body wears Deluxe Closet Classic lacquer finish in Three-Color Sunburst. This finely aged finish treatment imparts the look of a guitar owned with pride, well cared for and religiously polished over many years. Moderate finish checking and hardware oxidation, along with mild parts discolouration, combine into the distinct look and feel of an instrument that has evolved into something complex and refined, like a fine wine.

The flat-sawn maple neck has a '68-'69-style "U" profile with a slightly thicker in-hand feel, topped by a round-lam maple fingerboard with a 9.5" radius, 21 narrow tall (6105) frets, bone nut and a period-correct polyurethane finish. Three Custom Shop hand-wound '69 Underwound Stratocaster pickups deliver clear, airy tone with expressively sensitive dynamics, along with '68-'69 vintage Strat® wiring and five-way switching.

Other premium features include a three-ply parchment pickguard, Custom Shop vintage synchronized tremolo bridge, Schaller® "F" tuners, wing string tree with nylon spacer, deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.

Specifications:

• Body Shape: Stratocaster®
• Body Material: 2-Piece Select Alder
• Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck Profile: 1969 "U"
• Fretboard Material: Round-Lam Maple
• Fretboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
• Scale Length: 25.5" (64.77 cm)
• No. of Frets: 21 Narrow Tall (6105)
• Fretboard Inlays: Black Micarta Dot, 0.28" (7 mm)
• Pickups: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Under-Wound '69 Single-Coil Strat® (Bridge), Custom Shop Hand-Wound Under-Wound '69 Single-Coil Strat® (Middle), Custom Shop Hand-Wound Under-Wound '69 Single-Coil Strat® (Neck)
• Bridge: Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Parchment
• Strings: Fender® USA 250R Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges), PN 0730250406
• Tuning Machines: Schaller® "F"
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
• Case: Deluxe Hardshell Case
• Included Accessories: Strap and Certificate of Authenticity