Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster RW Journeyman Relic ABLK MBKM Masterbuilt Kyle McMillin #R102193
Product information "Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster RW Journeyman Relic ABLK MBKM Masterbuilt Kyle McMillin #R102193"
In 1954 the Fender Stratocaster finally hit the market after a long development period. The instrument looked like no guitar before it: the body appeared curvier and more flowing than that of the Telecaster to increase playing comfort, the new headstock slightly recalled the old Bigsby headstocks, the jack socket was elegantly recessed into the side of the body instead of on the top, and the Strat was equipped with three single-coil pickups. The guitar consisted of an ash body and a bolt-on maple neck and was initially only available in 2-Colour Sunburst or White Blonde finishes. At first it wasn’t a best-seller, but gradually the Strat became ever more popular and turned into a fixed part of music history.
Initially the Stratocaster was only available in the two colours mentioned above; from 1957 the first custom colours were introduced, allowing customers to order more colourful guitars for an extra charge. In 1959 the Strat — together with the Telecaster — received a facelift: bodies were now made from alder and the maple necks were fitted with rosewood fretboards, producing a warmer overall tone. New colours were also added to the existing custom palette.
The Fender Custom Shop has made it its mission to study the high-quality vintage Stratocasters of the past and recreate them in every detail. Here we have a very special Custom Shop one-off for you that is modelled on a Stratocaster from Fender’s heyday:
The Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster RW Journeyman Relic ABLK MBKM Masterbuilt Kyle McMillin is a classic ST-style electric guitar with a two-piece alder body. Alder has been used on original Stratocasters since the late 1950s and provides the basis for the perfect vintage sound. The body wood was hand-selected to ensure particularly low weight and thus improve playing comfort. The aged maple neck with rosewood fretboard features an oval "C" profile in the style of the '60s and a 9.5" fretboard radius, offering the perfect compromise between vintage feel and modern comfort and making fingering easier for the fretting hand. The guitar is fitted with a classic S-S-S pickup configuration of three Fender Custom Shop handwound Ancho Poblano single-coils. Additional appointments include Fender Vintage Style tuners, Aged White Soft Touch knobs, a Fender 6-saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo and a single-ply white pickguard.
This model is finished in classic Aged Black. The thin nitrocellulose lacquer finish allows the wood to vibrate particularly well and ensures the finish ages beautifully. It’s about the look and feel of a guitar that has been loved and played. If you play your instrument often, it’s a simple truth that your guitar will eventually show signs of wear. Even for players who treat their guitars very carefully, a fall from a stand, other people’s hands or even a mysteriously appearing ding can take their toll. Each of these marks gives the guitar character. That’s what you get with the Fender Custom Shop Journeyman Relic level: a well-cared-for instrument that has been played and loved.
The Fender Custom Shop 1959 Stratocaster RW Journeyman Relic ABLK MBKM Masterbuilt Kyle McMillin is delivered with a certificate of authenticity in a luxurious original Fender Custom Shop tweed case with wine-red interior, which you can use to transport your new dream guitar safely and protect it from external influences.
- Aging: Relic
- Body Material: Alder 2-piece Select
- Body Shape: ST-Style
- Body finish: High Gloss
- Bridge / Tremolo: Fender 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
- Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Handwound Ancho Poblano Single-Coil Strat
- Color/ Finish: Aged Black
- Colour: Black
- Controls: 1x volume, 2x tone
- Country of Origin: USA
- Custom shop: yes
- Factory Stringing: Fender Nickel Plated Steel
- Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
- Fretboard: Rosewood
- Fretboard Inlays: White Dot
- Fretboard radius: 9,5"
- Fret material: Nickel silver
- Frets: 21
- Hardware: Aged Nickel
- Includes: Original Fender case, certificate
- Masterbuilder: Kyle McMillin
- Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Poblano RPRW Mid
- Neck: Maple, flamed AAA
- Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Handwound Ancho Poblano Single-Coil Strat
- Neck Profile: '60s Style Oval "C"
- Neck construction: Bolt on neck
- Neck finish: Gloss aged
- Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
- Nut material: Bone
- Pickguard: White 1-Ply
- Pickup Configuration: S-S-S (3x Single Coil)
- Pickup Cover: Aged White
- Pickup Selector Switch: 5-way switch
- Pickup type: passive
- Pot Caps: Aged White Soft Touch Knobs
- Scale: 25" (635 - 659 mm)
- Scale Length: 25,5" (648 mm)
- Serial number: R102193
- Signature Model: no
- Strings: 6 string
- Strings thickness ex factory: .010 - .046
- Technology: Solid Body
- Translation: 1:14
- Tuning Machines: Fender Vintage Style Tuner
To make a Fender instrument available to everyone, they are offered in different price ranges. The subsidiary Squier sells affordable, Far East-made models built to original specifications with Fender know-how in the background. An affordable, "real" Fender can be found in the series made in Mexico. The classic original Fender instruments, such as the American Pro series, are made in the USA. For lovers of hand-built instruments and guitars with vintage flair there is the Fender Custom Shop, where you can even have a guitar built completely to your own specifications.
But Fender is not only known and appreciated for its instruments, it is also famous for various amplifiers such as the Deluxe Reverb, the Princeton, the Champion, the Blues Junior and the Fender Rumble bass amp range. Fender now also offers a wide range of guitar accessories like strings, picks, cables, straps, cases, tuners and care products, as well as spare parts and pickups, plus accessories and merchandising. You can of course find all of this at the music shop you trust – session in Frankfurt and Walldorf!
