All user reviews for the Fender Custom Shop 60th Anniversary '54 Heavy Relic Stratocaster

This model celebrates the anniversary of the very first Stratocaster model.
It was manufactured with carefully selected materials and benefits from a "Heavy Relic" aging process that evokes decades of use, abuse and pronounced wear.
Available once in a decade! I wanted this one at all cost!

The one-piece body is made of ash (rare, just like in ’54), after that the bodies were made of 2 or 3 parts glued together (to cut costs, obviously).

A bone nut (and you quickly see the difference with a plastic-nut-equipped standard strat – soundwise, regarding resonance and also visually).

The body features an aged finish with nitrocellulose lacquer.
The color is Dirty White Blonde – which is superb.
The one-piece neck is made of quartersawn maple with a comfortable U profile (as was the case in 1954): finally a neck that perfectly fills your hand!!! It features a tainted lacquered finish.
The maple fingerboard features a 9,5" radius and 21 “6105” frets for modern playing specs.
The three, single coil, Custom shop ’54 pickups deliver a nice sound worthy of that time period.
Other specs include a modern 5-position selector, aluminium “anodized gold” pickguard, (which was Leo Fender’s original intent, which he finally gave up for a cheaper plastic pickguard), a 6-saddle synchronized vibrato bridge with a numbered back plate, and vintage-style tuners with gold relic hardware.

Comes with : Tweed Case with embroided « 60 anniversary » logo, custom shop certificate and all that comes with it !

In a nutshell, it’s Fender suctom shop quality (that is the best of wood and electronics), with an unbelievable tune keeping !
The neck is just a dream!
I’d never played on a U profiled one before and I wonder how I could live all this time without playing one of these.
A real man’s neck, you feel the wood.
The best neck I’ve ever played!!!
If you like ultra-thin, shredder necks ala Ibanez, this is not for you!

The finish of the back of the neck without the (relic) nitro lacquer is still covered with an ultra-thin satin lacquer, which allows to slide very easily – really good custom shop work!
It provides different feelings, a bit disturbing for a start but which soon turn pleasant and soft, you’ll love it.
Addiction comes fast! It doesn’t stick nor catches on, the touch is very natural, as close to the wood as it gets and believe me, you soon develop a taste for it.
Now, hyper-lacquered necks look to me as if they were made of plastic!

The jumbo frets are thicker than on a usual strat (but it perfectly comes along with the neck).
The original 5-position switch is perfect for a wider sound palette.

The woods involved for the body and neck are of an excellent quality, and most important they’re perfectly dried. Hence, the guitar is rather on the light side (and doesn’t hurt your back).
Perfectly ergonomic, like all good old stratos.

Excellent dynamics on a tube amp (I play a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 3 and it’s great !)
I feel that I’ve finally found THE sound I’d been after for over 20 years!!! I mostly play Blues, Rock and Funk. (no metal)

Effectwise, i only use an Okko overdrive, a slight delay and here we go!
It delivers heavy sounds for Blues and on sounds ala Dire Straits, Gilmour, SRV, Hendrix (of course) and all these good ol’years!

Now I’ve sold all my guitars except for two: my new ’54 Relic Strat and my ’96 Gibson Les Paul Standard – I need nothing else now! (I’d always dreamt of saying this!)

Original ’54 Strats are impossible to find now, and even it you chanced to find one it would cost a good 150,000 bucks! This answers the question, at least it does for me.
I’m no Jean-Pierre Danel to own an original pre-production ’54, but I’m quite happy with this one!
This reissue model is an ideal compromise, plus it won’t get lost in the (long) list of custom shop models (you could get lost in it!) as it’s a limited edition custom shop strat made only for 2014, for Fender’s 60th anniversary!
And I can tell you that for this 60th anniversary, Fender has been particularly attentive to each and every detail!
A very good value for money, it’s worth more than its original 4,300€ price tag. In Canada in 2014, it was worth 5,500€ !
I totally understand not everyone can afford it, but after waiting for 20 years you can give yourself a treat ! (I’m 41).
I’m in love with the ’54 model since I’ve turned 18, for me it’s THE ONE model to own for all Stratocaster fans and collectors.

The relic is surprisingly realistic, you either like it or not, my wife was even frightened looking at the guitar ! Well, I like it, and for others you’ll just have to play it to love ot!

Now i can finally say “stop”!
Let’s stop goofing around, this is the realm of REAL guitars, those you keep a lifetime, those that make your hands shake when you open their case and remind you how much you love it each and every time you play it.