Fender Custom Shop 50th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster (2004)

The anniversary model was produced in less than 150 copies between 15/01 and 31/12 in 2004, the Fender USA custom shop in Corona.

It is a Masterbuilt which implies that it was made by a single master luthier's custom shop is called a Masterbuilder hence the name ...
From memory there are fewer than 10 of the 50 masterbuilder luthiers SC (John Français, John Cruz, Art Esparza, Yuri Shishkov, Jason Davis, Todd Kraus and Mark Kendrick) whose boss John Page is himself a former masterbuilder. Eric Clapton was the first to ammorcer this notion of Fender custom shop from and get a signature model. Now the makers who belong to other models often produce replicas of the glory years Stratocasters 54/59/65/etc and also special models (Harley Davidson, Jimi Henrix Monterey, etc ...)
Obviously these models are often the result of work of small teams and sometimes are the work of a single creator such as (The SRV # 1 - John Cruz). The price is affected greatly which partly explains the amounts requested for such a guitar ...

Specifications:

2-Color Sunburst finish in aged nitrocellulose Lacquer
Premium Comfort Contoured Ash Body (offset glue seam)
1-Piece Maple, U-Shape neck, with nitro-cellulose Lacquer finish
Fender / Gotoh Vintage Style Tuning Machines
Maple fingerboard with 7.25 "radius
21 frets Vintage Style
Scale Length 25.5 "
Width at Nut 1.650 "
Three new Custom Shop Vintage wind-1954 single-coil Stratocaster pickups with white ABS (Bakelite) covers, 1-Ply white pickguard, (8 Hole, original shape)
Master Volume, Tone 1 (Neck Pickup), Tone and 2 (Middle Pickup) controls
3-Position Blade Switch: Position 1 - Bridge Pickup, Position 2 - Middle Pickup, and Position 3 - Neck Pickup (5-Way Switch Included in Kit)
American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, the original "Pat Pend" Bridge with "Ash Tray" bridge cover
Aged Nickel / Chrome Hardware
Vintage brown box made form, Modern form made box, strap and cable included

UTILIZATION

Opening the small box in original brown leather crust and in the setting of red plush CS arises first in my life ...
She is beautiful, everything is consistent with a model 54, the table is gorgeous with its veins covered with a simple nitrocellulose lacquer, the older acastillage is splendid, the tremolo is stamped from the same machine as the 1954!
Incredible, no relicage here with a lot of sanding, everything is fine and discernment ...
The glaze is finely crackled as is the picture of the Mona Lisa ... sisi I saw ... in fact it is a natural collapse of the varnish with time as if it were a new old stock in the strictest sense!
We go out of his box guitar 50 years of age (I am not yet back ...)

Once the grip is felt right away that it's solid! The handle of lumberjack is confusing at first, but the finishes are of such quality that addiction does not require more than a few minutes ...

You should know also that all shares have been re-manufactured machine tools with the exception of the time or re-created for the occasion!
Only disgrace, the original plate in Backelite single ply white, I better understand the transformation in 3-ply black just for aesthetics though originally it was to compensate for the low impact resistance of Backelite very brittle. ..

SOUNDS

The sound of the 54 is the genesis Fender, there are the side inmanquablement Telecaster to the center position on the three proposed standard by the original switch.
The neck position is as fabulous and typical stratocaster, the acute is sharp but not strident ...
First round of heats, I see right away the reactivity of microphones to attack the pick, very sensitive microphones are like those of Gibson and Gretsch be very soft and the next moment a roar like Wild!
In a tube amp is a real crunch is killing the enjoyable!
It's not a funky guitar, the sound of the blues that you just grow up to torture.
However unless the position of the bridge can not move in a disto tight, the microphones do not support and does not provide any measure of their talent as if the space was too small.
Clearly she wants a Fender Bassman or Twin or JMT but not DualRectifier.
Each of his way ...

OVERALL OPINION

I am in love with this guitar except it is not everything, but she does it well!
For the blues is a centerpiece as my LP or my Gretsch 6120 ...
To these three missing Telecaster guitar say to me, I would say yes in principle but think carefully about this ay CS54 is capable of addressing a Tele stride.
The original price was € 5999, not that expensive if you consière the price of a vintage ...
If you are looking for a master piece, a piece of American dream, I see two models that CS '50th anniversary in 2004 54 or 59 Masterbuilt John Français relic of only 2006 but what's my forefathers!
@ + Rocknweb