Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Austin MacNutt 1965 Stratocaster HSS Journeyman Relic Blue Ice Metallic

Last year, we got word that Austin MacNutt had joined the Fender Custom Shop as the newest Masterbuilder.  We immediately set up a meeting to cook up a batch of very special guitars.   We always like to ask the builders what they would like to build, colors they want to use, etc., in an effort to truly collaborate on guitars that they are excited to build.  That was the genesis of this amazing '65 Strat.  We dreamt this up with him based on the concept of "vintage modified".  Of course, he absolutely nailed it.

This color was Austin's idea - and there's no way we'd argue with Blue Ice Metallic, as it's one of our favorite colors from the 60's.  Paired with a 4-ply tortoise shell pickguard, it's super cool - and Austin really did the Journeyman Relic right.  This is a guitar made to look and feel worn in, but not abused.  So, there's finish checking, some small nicks, and light wear, but nothing major.  Be sure to check out the level of detail shown in the photos.  It's not just about the look though - as anyone that has played a Custom Shop guitar like this knows, it's just as much (if not more) all about the feel.  As a Masterbuilder, Austin has this art down to a science, and this is one of the best playing Strats we've had in a very long time.

We asked Austin to hand-select a great piece of maple for the neck and rosewood for the fretboard, and he picked winenrs for sure.  We chose to keep this guitar period correct and went with a 65 "C" neck shape.  It's a very comfortable vintage feeling neck, a bit thicker than a lot of Custom Shop 60's style guitars (which quite often have a 60's Oval "C" shape).  It's perfect for anyone that wants the real feel of a mid-60's Strat.  The modernized tweak is that the guitar has a 9.5 - 14.0" compound radius and Medium Jumbo (6150) frets.  This makes it easy to play, even up high on the neck when bending notes.  

It's not just about looks and feel - the third element - the sound - is where this guitar really shines.  Here's what going on with this guitar:

We want to the ability to get a mid-60's Strat sound , so the guitar has Handwound '65 Strat pickups in the neck & middle positions.  They provide the powerful and clear mid-60's Strat tones that the era is known for.  These are vintage correct pickups, made just like they were back in 1965.  Enamel-coated cloth wire, fiber bobbin construction, and wax potting create warm, vintage-style tones.  The the Alnico 5 magnets add focus and enhanced dynamics.  Staggered polepieces provide balanced volume and ouput across every string.  This is traditional Fender tone and performance, replicating the mid-60's sound.

Where this guitars goes into the "modified" mindset is with the bridge pickup - we asked Austin what he loved for humbuckers, and he suggested the Seymour Duncan SH-4, known as the JB Model.  This is their most popular pickup of all time, and for good reason.  It's a modern classic.  Whether it's for hard rock, country, blues or fusion, the JB has always sounded just right, even as new genres emerged around it. The low end is full and powerful, the highs are crisp and detailed and there’s an upper-midrange bump that adds crunch and chunk to heavy chords but translates to a singing, vocal-like quality when you play single notes or solos. Meanwhile the hot output pushes your amp just that little bit harder for more sustain and harmonics.

We stayed period correct for the hardware, going with vintage tuners, bridge, etc.  The idea is to have everything you'd expect in a vintage Strat from 1965, with the slight tweak of modern playability and a killer humbucker.  The guitar comes with a Custom Shop Black case, strap and Certificate of Authenticity.