Fender Custom Shop '60 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic Electric Guitar, Bleached 3-Color Sunburst

As classic as can be, the 3-color sunburst Stratocaster is just about the most "guitar" guitar ever conceived, and Fender Custom Shop has performed their workshop magic once again in delivering a 1960 Journeyman Relic iteration. Boasting a bleached colorway variation with relicing, hand wound pickups, and premium appointments across the board, this Custom Shop will transport you back to the good 'ol days without sacrificing modern utility.

The Fender Custom Shop team is acclaimed for their attention to detail, so let's take a closer look at all the specs that make this guitar so special. To start, a weight-sorted alder body forms the iconic Stratocaster double cutaway silhouette—sporting a Bleached 3-Color Sunburst gloss finish with Journeyman relic treatment that features intentional blemishes and checks here and there for a worn-in, well-loved look and feel. The burst truly, well, bursts, with the dark portions appearing supremely deep, while the burst garners vibrant reds and oranges where the wood grain still beautifully shines through. Adorned with a green mint guard, the classic color scheme effortlessly matches the body's singular tone, providing that naturally "Strat" tone we've all be striving for—full-bodied with a robust warmness, and offering a high-end that is articulate and shiny. When someone says there's no sound quite like a Strat, they're right.

We could get lost in the tones and looks of this guitar, but we must press on (we'll come back to it, I promise). Fastened with a 4-bolt connection, the maple neck features a '60s style Oval "C" profile that offers vintage feel with modern playability—perfectly comfortable and intuitive across the entire 25.5" scale length. The neck also shows a medium tint, with darker and lighter patches weaving in and out of the intricate grain. Affixed to the neck is a round laminated 9mm AAA slab rosewood fingerboard, lined with vintage sized frets and guided by vintage clay dot inlays. Snappy, silky, and precise, this fingerboard accentuates the tone of all slides and solos, and resonates excellently when letting a righteous chord ring out.

Supporting the excellent Stratocaster build, and perfectly aged as part of the Journeyman treatment, each hardware appointment allows this '60 spec guitar to perform efficiently. An American Vintage Strat bridge lends the guitar with even more resonance with its exceptional string to body vibration transfer. Additionally, variable string heights allow for precise setups to ensure comfort is achieved for every player. Further up the neck we'll notice a genuine bone nut to support intonation and maintain proper string space, while the vintage style tuning machines stabilize pitches throughout lengthy jams and late nights in the studio.

Oh, you want to plug the thing in? Why didn't you say so! You'll be hearing the brilliant output of three hand wound 60's Strat pickups, chock-full of signature twang with a pristine top end, a fortified body, and enough expressive bite for your amp to feel when you're digging into the strings. Articulate is an understatement with these hand wound pickups, with every minute detail being noticed and translated for nuanced performances from chicken picking to clean, jangly open chord strumming.

Delivered in a brown deluxe Fender hardshell case, this '60 Journeyman Stratocaster may look like its spent plenty of time on the road, but it's ready for a new music excursion with you at the helm. Ready for the journey, man?