Fender Custom Shop ’68 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic, Maple Fingerboard, Aged Midnight Purple Fender Custom Shop

This Fender Custom Shop Journeyman Relic’d ’69 Stratocaster was born in Corona, CA and showcases the craftsmanship and attention to detail offered by the Fender Custom Shop builders, while boasting incredible performance features to boot. Sorted for weight, the alder body of this Strat was hand-selected and by the artisans at the Fender Custom Shop, ensuring an instrument that resonates with quality, and is also as light as possible for its size and material selection. 

This ’69 Stratocaster sports a neck that’s cut to a 1969 style “U” profile from maple, with a round lam maple fingerboard. This chunky and rounded neck profile, similar to a Telecaster’s “baseball bat” style, fills the hand comfortably, creating a cozy handfeel. The fingerboard features 21 Medium Jumbo 6150 frets. 

Under its hood, the sonic character of this guitar is shaped by a trio of Fender Custom Shop Handwired ’69 Strat Relic Pickups, which are underwound and deliver a slightly lower output with a brighter, “Strat-esque” tone and less midrange. A Master Volume, Master Tone, and 5-way pickup selector switch allow control over the pickups.

While many FCS Relic owners love when a guitar is thoroughly worn, this ’69 Strat’s Journeyman treatment lends itself beautifully to its deep Midnight Purple color. With little sign of wear, this guitar’s finish is designed to emulate that of a Strat that was born in 1969, and has been “used, but not abused” ever since. While lacking the deep checking or buckle wear of its more heavily relic’d counterparts, this finish evokes a guitar kept in a case, but still with some small scratching on its surface. 

Small details take this guitar to home plate, including Schaller’s F-Series Relic tuning machines, an American Vintage Strat Relic bridge, a ’63-’67 Strat Relic pickguard, Aged White Relic knobs, and chrome hardware from top to bottom. This ’69 Strat offers an eye-catching level of detail that is a staple of FCS guitars- even the string tree, American Vintage 65+ Nylon Relic, and the Vintage Upgraded ’60s Relic trem arm with an Aged White Tip showcase commitment to authenticity. Completing the package is a Custom Shop Black Hard Case, providing a secure and stylish home for this work of art. 

• FCS Journeyman Relic Finish
• Handwired ’69 Strat Relic Pickups, Underwound
• Chunky 1969 “U” Neck Profile
• Alder Body Sorted for Weight
• 6150 Medium Jumbo Fret Wire
• Schaller F-Series Relic Tuning Machines
• American Vintage Strat Relic Bridge
• Vintage Upgraded Trem Arm
• 250K 10% Taper Split Pots
• Custom Shop Black Hard Case with Plush Interior