2017 Fender Custom Shop John Cruz Masterbuilt ’61 Stratocaster

2017 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt John Cruz '61 Stratocaster Relic in Salmon Pink. This guitar has tons of vibe and effortlessly captures the essence of an old Strat that has been loved and played for years with an authentic road-worn aesthetic. Features an Alder body and a cozy and fast Maple neck with a 60s style oval "C" with taller Jescar 6100 Jumbo frets for a solid and even feel with excellent touch response. Super resonant with tons of sustain and sounds great with a trio of hand-wound Texas Special PUs with a 5-way selector for added versatility and classic Strat tones! An excellent tribute from Masterbuilder John Cruz. Includes original hardshell case and papers.

"This particular Strat was built by the legendary former master builder (and current cautionary tale regarding drunk Facebooking) John Cruz. Until his surprise mandatory retirement in 2020, John was Fender’s most tenured and popular builder. His waiting list was years long, and his prices skyrocketed accordingly. The quality of his instruments is absolutely undeniable, and this ’61 is a shining example of that. While this guitar is of course loosely based on a 1961 Stratocaster, it was a completely custom one-off order by the previous owner, and is unlike anything you’ll find in their standard catalog.
Vintage enthusiasts may be flummoxed as to what exact color we’re seeing on this Strat. Is it faded fiesta red? Maybe a strange hue of shell pink? Wrong on both counts, the color is a shade known as “salmon pink” and is a true custom color, not even appearing on the custom shop’s extensive color chart. Upon strumming the guitar, the frets may be the next thing to grab your attention. Rather than standard vintage-style frets, Jescar 6100s were ordered and installed. These are notably wider and taller than the traditional alternative, (.110”x.055”) but are extremely comfortable and allow for maximum shredability. The pickups are a trio of hand-wound Texas Specials, unsurprisingly one of Fender’s most popular offerings. This guitar came to us from a truly prolific collector of Fender Custom Shop guitars, particularly of John Cruz masterbuilt examples. Once boasting a collection of dozens of such guitars, the time has come to thin the herd, and this ’61 is one of the very last to go. A terrific vintage-style guitar with the convenience and reliability of a modern luthier-built instrument." ~ Tyler Geske, ECG Newsletter