Master Builder Greg Fessler, who became Robben Ford's personal guitar builder due to his special craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail, has created an impressive Stratocaster model in collaboration with Guitar-Place. This is already the second model in a series of other exceptional Master Built models to come!
What is immediately noticeable is the highly unconventional pickup combination on this Strat. Friends of the crunchy P-90 sound will love it! A custom P-90 pickup in the bridge and two hand-wound Tomatillo Strat pickups in the middle and neck position open up completely new worlds of sound options to their player! The Tomatillo PU in the neck position is very well balanced and has got warmth and excellent clarity. It is complemented in an excellent way by a Tomatillo PU in the middle, which has the typical woody Strat chime, which is sought after by Strat players. The pickup lineup is rounded off by the custom P-90 pickup in the bridge, which delivers exactly that level of crunchy and fat sound that is so sorely missed in a single coil pickup. Conclusion: This Strat rocks the hell out of it, but at the same time can produce classic Strat sounds! Slide guitarist Ry Cooder swears by exactly this pickup combination and – by the way – also by the color Daphne Blue!
Greg Fessler only used carefully selected tonewoods for this unique Strat, such as a light alder wood for the body and a "medium tint" maple neck with an AAA "sorted for dark" rosewood fingerboard, which is decorated by a white binding. This choice of wood guarantees a first-class sound with plenty of punch, resonance and sustain. The neck in "60 Oval C" format with a 12 inch radius fits comfortably in the hand. The fret ends were straightened by Fessler, leaving plenty of room on the high E string for bending and fast solos. That helps this Strat to a have a dreamlike handling and a unique playability.
Not to forget the awesome outfit of this Master Built 1963 Custom Shop Stratocaster! The elaborate "Lush Closet Classic Lacquer Finish" shows the finest cracklings that couldn't be more authentic! Wow! And the heavenly color "Daphne Blue" has always been an eye-catcher and is topped by a "Matching Headstock", which is rarely found on Stratocaster models. All in all, a great piece of craftsmanship from a great Custom Shop Master Builder.
please regard additional notes: matching painted peg head, please route for P-90 in bridge position, end of frets quite straight for more space on top, very fine lacquer crackling , AAA-rosewood board-not especially sorted for dark but evenly composition