FENDER CUSTOM SHOP 63 Stratocaster Masterbuilt Andy Hicks Relic

Andy Hicks is one of the newest names among the master builders in the Fender Custom Shop. He's proving that the direction the Custom Shop is taking will yield even better instruments than ever before, and the younger generation is going to take it hard. The choice of materials and the sound of the instruments in this catagory are probably unsurpassed, you can safely put them next to the revered icons of the 50s and 60s. The artificial patination (relic) is bold and the instrument resembles both an authentic vintage guitar and a work of art.

The Relic finish offers authentic elements of wear associated with frequent gigging from the headstock to the headstock, giving a brand new instrument the look and feel of guitars played for years. Whether Andy Hicks was inspired by his first guitar, a Stratocaster with a stunning 3-Tone Burst finish, which he used to play riffs from Black Sabbath, Metallica and Nirvana in his youth, we don't know - but we can confirm that the Chocolate 3-Tone Sunburst finish looks fantastic in combination with the Relic finish.

The body of the Stratocaster is made from two pieces of alder. A AAA-quality rosewood fingerboard with twenty-one Narrow Tall (6105) frets is glued to a rift-sawn maple neck with a 60's Style Oval "C" profile. Orientation on the fingerboard is facilitated by front and side micarta position dots.

Three hand-wound HW Strat Fat 64 pickups with a reverse polarity middle pickup and windings give the guitar a period-authentic sound and feel. Adjust its character with the volume potentiometers, tone shutter and five-position pickup switch. A modern greasebucket circuit allows you to take away treble without accentuating bass frequencies. The strings are anchored via a bone fret zero in vintage-style tuning machines and a synchronized Strat tremolo.

The guitar comes in a case with a strap and certificate of authenticity.