Fender Custom Shop '54 Stratocaster Replica

A finely crafted beauty that really takes it from the top

By Lonnie Sanders

Master built
The Custom Shop '54 is as beautiful as any Strat ever made. First of all, each one is produced by a single Fender Master Builder. From the selection of woods to fret work and final setup, one of Fender's nine top Custom Shop luthiers puts all of his skill and pride into producing one dazzling instrument. When it's done, he signs the Certificate of Authenticity so you know exactly who created it. There's nothing assembly line about this guitar's production.

I was awed when I opened the brown vintage form-fit case and saw the '54 nestled seductively in its plush bed. The two-tone sunburst finish is truly classic and quite elegant. And I was even more awed when I picked it up and played. It amazes me how one Strat can have a different feel from another, since they are all basically the same guitar.

Besides being a beautifully crafted Strat, it is also a painstakingly accurate reproduction of the '54. The main inspiration was a gorgeous '54 owned by writer Richard Smith. He graciously loaned it to a Fender team who pored over it, measuring and noting everything down to the tiniest details. To learn the details of internal construction, they took apart numerous battered '54s, pieces, and parts they had gathered or dug out from the vault. When done, they had documented every aspect of the Strat as it was in 1954. Then they set about reproducing it.

This replica is perhaps the most accurate one Fender has ever created. It features the '54's two-piece ash body with its off-center seam and a U-shape neck with integrated maple fretboard and light frets. The finish is flawless and has been put through a special process that produces the "checking" (a network of tiny cracks) that you typically see on real vintage instruments.

It also has been fitted with period-correct knobs made of the original styrene. Fender went so far as to have old parts chemically analyzed so their actual composition could be recreated.

The pickguard has the '54 shape. The back plate, bridge saddles, rounded pickup covers, and trem cover with its serial number on the underside all have been duplicated exactly from the '54 samples. In addition, the metal parts have been aged by means of a special process to give them the patina that would have developed from oxidation on a 50-year- old instrument.

On the other two '54 anniversary models, the neck plate has special engraving that designates its anniversary significance, but not on this Custom Shop version. Everything about this guitar is in keeping with the original. Only on the inside of its replicated case, in embroidery, is it identified as the Anniversary '54 Replica. Otherwise, it could almost pass for the real thing to anyone but the experts.

54 pickup
Special attention was given by Fender to the pickups. Examination revealed that the original Strat pickups had larger pole pieces than do the modern ones. This feature along with the windings and potting were duplicated for this guitar. Pickup accuracy is especially important because it gives this Strat a different sound from modern instruments.

I played it side-by-side with my '70s American and was surprised by the difference in tonal vibe. It is easy to see why the original Strat was such a big hit with players. It has a bigger, beefier tone. It's Strat tone for sure, but fatter.

You don't need to be a collector to appreciate this guitar. Its limited production will surely make it attractive to collectors, but it is a guitar that deserves to be played. It provides a vintage-Strat experience you'll get nowhere else.

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