We've all fallen for our value-packed Fender Custom Shop '63 Stratocaster Journeyman Relics. If you've ever stopped by the shop, browsed our website, or even just lurked on our social media, you've probably seen a few. We've sold dozens of these over the last couple of years, and for good reason—they've become our all-time best-selling Stratocaster!
This gorgeous example is finished in Candy Green and weighs just 7 lbs. 13 oz., thanks to some meticulous wood selection and construction by the Fender Custom Shop team. It's a fantastic combination of vintage-inspired specifications, excellent playability, and the kind of hand-built attention to detail that makes a Custom Shop Strat so addictive to play.
The Magic Ingredients
The 2-piece alder body was hand-selected for light weight and gives this Stratocaster the punchy, balanced character that has made alder such a Fender favorite for decades. Compared with ash, alder tends to have a little more beef and midrange presence without sacrificing clarity, making it an incredibly versatile tonewood. The carefully sculpted body contours and excellent edge-radius work make this Stratocaster just as comfortable in your lap as it is on a strap.
The quartersawn maple neck is paired with a beautiful AAA-grade 9mm rosewood fingerboard selected for its rich, dark appearance. Quartersawn maple provides excellent rigidity and stability, while the slender '60s Oval C profile gives the neck a fast, comfortable feel without making it feel insubstantial. At .790" at the 1st fret, the neck has that easy-playing lower-position feel Strat players love, gradually filling out to .930" at the 12th fret. A 9.5" fingerboard radius and Sanko 6105 fret wire provide an especially comfortable playing surface for everything from rhythm work to big bends and expressive vibrato. The classic 25.5" scale length and 1.650" nut width complete the familiar Fender feel.
The Neck Feel: Just Right
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Profile: '60s Oval C
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Thickness: .790" at 1st fret, .930" at 12th fret
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Fingerboard Radius: 9.5"
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Frets: Sanko 6105
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Nut Width: 1.650"
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Scale Length: 25.5"
It's a neck that manages to feel slim and fast in the lower positions while gradually giving you more to grab onto as you move up the fingerboard. For a Strat player, it's a very easy neck to settle into—and once you do, you'll probably find yourself wondering why you ever put it down.
Handwound '60s-Spec Pickups
The tonal heart of this Strat is a set of Fender Custom Shop Handwound '60s-spec pickups, including an RWRP middle pickup for the classic Stratocaster in-between sounds.
The result is the unmistakable Strat voice: clear, chimey highs, a rounded low end, and that characteristic scooped-midrange response that makes a great Strat sound like a great Strat. Positions 1, 3, and 5 deliver plenty of power and fullness, while positions 2 and 4 bring in that unmistakable Strat "quack" and chime. The familiar control layout of master volume, two tone controls, and a 5-way switch keeps everything straightforward and puts a huge range of classic Strat tones right at your fingertips.
The hardware is equally vintage-minded, with an American Vintage bridge and bent-steel saddles that complement the guitar's overall period-correct character.
The Music Gallery has been a Fender Custom Shop dealer since 1987, and we've maintained a deep relationship with the Custom Shop for decades. We keep a substantial selection of Fender Custom Shop instruments in stock, and we've had the opportunity to play and sell an awful lot of Stratocasters along the way. These '63 Journeyman Relics have consistently stood out as an exceptional combination of specifications, feel, tone, and value—and that's why we've sold so many of them.
This one is a particularly nice example, with its Candy Green finish, lightweight 7 lb. 13 oz. alder body, AAA rosewood fingerboard, handwound '60s-spec pickups, and comfortable '60s Oval C neck. It comes complete with the Certificate of Authenticity, original paperwork, and original hardshell case.
