# Blotnik > The luxury collector platform for Fender Custom Shop guitars Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About URL: https://www.blotnik.net/about/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T18:56:38.000Z Błotnik is the Polish word for fender — the mudguard on a bicycle or automobile. It's also where the name of the most iconic guitar brand in history comes from. That's the etymology. This is the publication. Błotnik starts there. Fender Custom Shop guitars occupy a specific and serious corner of the collector world — instruments built by hand, in limited numbers, with provenance that matters and stories worth documenting. Błotnik exists to cover that world with the depth and aesthetic seriousness it deserves: the craftsmanship behind team-built instruments, the culture of Limited Edition releases, the acquisition stories that never make it into dealer listings. My name is Phil Gajewski. I'm a corporate insurance executive based in Michigan, and I've been collecting Fender Custom Shop guitars since 2022\. My collection runs deep in team-built instruments — Limited Editions, limited runs, and pieces with provenance worth documenting. I've got a [Guitar World byline](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/how-ted-nugent-destroyed-his-first-gibson-byrdland?ref=blotnik.net), a CCS College of Art and Design background, and an obsessive attention to detail that follows me from the office into my guitar room. Błotnik exists because this world deserves better documentation than it currently gets. These aren't just guitars — they're objects with history, craft, and stories attached. I intend to tell those stories the way they deserve to be told. New articles publish weekly. If you collect guitars, or aspire to, you're in the right place. — Phil *Have a tip, a guitar story, or a collection you'd like to discuss? Please use the form below to reach out!* Your email: Your message: Send --- ### Phillip Gajewski URL: https://www.blotnik.net/authors/ Last updated: 2026-06-17T14:16:54.000Z Phil Gajewski is an insurance executive by day and a Fender Custom Shop collector the rest of the time. He lives in Michigan, where he writes about his Fender guitar collection with the same attention to detail he brings to his work — which is to say, obsessively. Błotnik is where that obsession lives. ### Tags URL: https://www.blotnik.net/tags/ Last updated: 2026-07-01T21:20:15.000Z _No content available._ ## Posts ### Decoding Fender Custom Shop Serial Numbers: What They Tell You, and What They Don't URL: https://www.blotnik.net/decoding-fender-custom-shop-serial-numbers-what-they-tell-you-and-what-they-dont/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T09:47:12.000Z When purchasing a Fender Custom Shop (new or used), how much emphasis should one place on the serial number? Serial numbers on Fender Custom Shop guitars are at best confusing, and at worst misleading. In many instances, the serial number may not really tell an owner much valuable information. There are some basic guidelines or reference points, but the real truth lies in the Certificate Of Authenticity (COA). Nowadays, Custom Shop guitars are shipped with a premium leather(ette) binder which includes a printed certificate that matches the serial number to the guitar's exact model, and includes the date it was signed. Also included (in current times) is the Floor Traveler – a specifications build sheet showing a detailed breakdown of all the parts. Fender Custom Shop serial numbers are confusing because they were not intended to serve as a strict chronological dating system, the way most other manufacturers’ serial numbers traditionally function. On the whole, Fender has used multiple parallel serial-number schemas simultaneously, and Custom Shop production categories often have their own prefixes. The CZ prefix is probably the most common modern Fender Custom Shop serial format. Example: · C = Custom Shop · Z originally related to the 2000s-era numbering scheme (similar to mass-produced Fender guitars which use sequential letter-prefixes for decades, e.g., N for 90s, Z for 2000s). · The numeric portion that follows the “CZ” is primarily a sequential production number, not a direct year code You'll also see CN-prefix serials on earlier (1990s) Custom Shop instruments. As the most common prefix, “CZ” was introduced during the early 2000s and continued far beyond a single decade; a lot of Custom Shop guitars built from the early 2000s through well into the 2020s carry CZ serials. Some guides will tell you CZ was retired around 2012; I own a 2024 Custom Shop guitar that says otherwise. ![Here's a Fender Custom Shop Strat with a CZ serial number from 2024](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5174.jpeg) Here's a Fender Custom Shop Strat with a CZ serial number from 2024 The serial number alone will not necessarily tell you the exact build year. For that information, one should refer to the COA, which will have the Serial No., the Model Name, and the Date the COA was produced / signed. The R-prefix serial numbers are usually associated with the Custom Shop's Time Machine series. Historically, "R" was commonly used on Custom Shop vintage recreations, and is frequently found on Relics, Closet Classics, NOS, Time Machine Strats and Teles. The “R” serial sequence is largely independent of CZ-numbered instruments. So, does that mean that my Relic’d Fender Custom Shop guitar must have an “R” serial number? Absolutely not; I have more than a dozen “[CZ” prefix FCS guitars](https://www.blotnik.net/the-cookie-monster-and-breaking-my-own-rules/), with varying levels of relic detail applied. Further, I’ve talked to some dealers [who custom order team-built instruments for their own shops](https://www.blotnik.net/the-unicorn-the-guitar-that-shouldnt-exist/), with varying specifications. I’ve seen FCS dealer-specific instruments for [Wildwood](https://wildwoodguitars.com/collections/fender-custom-shop?ref=blotnik.net), [Willcutt](https://willcuttguitars.com/search?type=products&q=fender%20custom%20shop%2A&ref=blotnik.net), [Musikhaus Hermann](https://www.musikhaus-hermann.de/en/e-guitars/fender/custom-shop-mbd-stratocaster/?srsltid=AfmBOoqYcq2RLsB2WI3c2SH%5Fq-MDWkZpktDw1iRd6SV464MT6zCYxvae&ref=blotnik.net) and [Detroit Guitar](https://detroitguitar.com/collections/fender-custom-shop?ref=blotnik.net)… just to name a few dealers. I have not seen dealer-specific serial numbers, but specifications on instruments can certainly vary per dealer requests. As a standard guide, here is a list of common FCS Serial Prefixes: | **Prefix** | **Typical Use** | | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | CZ | General Custom Shop production | | R | Time Machine / Relic / Vintage-style instruments | | CN | Found on specific Custom Shop instruments made during the 1990s. (A lot of noise about counterfeit FCS instruments sporting a “CN” prefix serial number, but real ones do exist) | | V | Vintage Reissues (made specifically at the Custom Shop - will have the Custom Shop logo on back of headstock) | **You may notice a prefix missing from that table.** Search around and you may find HR listed as the Masterbuilt designation in a fair number of online prefix charts. I left it out deliberately. I've never seen an HR-stamped instrument — not once. So, I asked Fender directly. The first reply from their Consumer Relations desk (very helpful and responsive, I might add) repeated the familiar line: HR equals Masterbuilt. I pushed back — I've never encountered one, and the Masterbuilts sitting at my own dealer wear plain R and CZ serials. The second reply walked it back: the rep couldn't locate any Fender-issued documentation establishing HR as a Masterbuilt category, acknowledged that real-world examples are scarce, and offered the likeliest explanation: "HR" is everyday shorthand for *Heavy Relic* on spec sheets, travelers, and dealer listings. Somewhere along the line, a finish designation got promoted to a serial prefix. His parting advice, one Fender nerd to another, was to trust the traveler and the COA over the prefix every time — Custom Shop serial practices have "never been nearly as rigid as collectors would like." For Fender Custom Shop instruments, the serial prefix does not reliably tell you whether a guitar is Team Built or Masterbuilt. Some older Masterbuilt guitars have used personal, sequential serialization or the Master Builder's initials along with the year (e.g., *John Cruz* builds often feature JC followed by the year and build number). Modern Masterbuilts mostly *do not* have a unique prefix — they live inside the same R and CZ pools as Team Built guitars, and the thing that tells them apart is the paperwork, not the serial. The serial can't even tell you Team Built from Masterbuilt — the COA does that. Here’s an example: [The Music Zoo’s listing](https://www.themusiczoo.com/products/fender-custom-shop-1957-stratocaster-ultimate-relic-masterbuilt-dale-wilson-3-tone-sunburst?ref=blotnik.net) of a 1957 Stratocaster Ultimate Relic Masterbuilt by Dale Wilson — serial CZ577281 — a bona fide Masterbuilt wearing the same "general production" prefix as dozens of team-built guitars. The serial won't separate the two. The paperwork will. Even at my own local dealer – [Detroit Guitar](https://detroitguitar.com/collections/fender-custom-shop?ref=blotnik.net) – they have a handful of Masterbuilts currently – and each sporting an “R” serial on their respective neckplates. So, between a CZ Masterbuilt at The Music Zoo and the R-serial Masterbuilts on Detroit Guitar's wall, the prefix is clearly no guide to build tier. Let’s further complicate matters, shall we? Take, for example the [2024 issued FCS 70th Anniversary Stratocasters](https://www.blotnik.net/annie-are-you-okay-the-70th-anniversary-54-strat-2/). True to their 1954 predecessors, these instruments simply have four-digit serial numbers (example: 4019) imprinted on their rear cavity cover plates… wouldn’t want to remove and lose one of those. ![Note: this Fender Custom Shop 70th Anniversary Strat has the serial number 4019 - imprinted on the rear cavity plate.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5171.jpeg) Note: this Fender Custom Shop 70th Anniversary Strat has the serial number 4019 - imprinted on the rear cavity plate. **Is there a Master FCS Serial Number Resource?** Unlike the dozens of online resources for dating traditional ‘Fender’ guitars, there is no definitive, publicly available resource that helps users to search and decode Fender Custom Shop serial numbers. Further, Fender Custom Shop serial numbers do not show up in Fender’s own online Serial Number Lookup. Even the mighty Floor Traveler specification sheet won't necessarily help you – a common misperception is that the Floor Travelers include the specific serial number – they, in fact, do not. The only truly definitive way to validate a Fender Custom Shop serial number is to correlate the guitar with its specific COA. Which is exactly why I won't purchase an FCS without one. I could forego the original case, and even the Floor Traveler if I had to (although not ideal) – but not the COA. A replacement is a real hassle to secure, and given the time and effort involved, I'd expect a significant discount on any FCS guitar sold without one. Buyer beware. ### The Unicorn: The Guitar that Shouldn't Exist. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/the-unicorn-the-guitar-that-shouldnt-exist/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:27:12.000Z I first saw her in January 2025\. She was listed as a used piece on the Detroit Guitar dealer site; I was immediately smitten with the guitar’s heavy relic finish – it reminded me of the Frusciante or McCready signature models, albeit with its “own thing” going on. And a maple neck/fretboard… I’m a sucker for a maple neck/fretboard. The next day on my lunch hour, I rushed to Detroit Guitar to see / play / purchase the guitar. However, upon arrival, they informed me that the guitar was off-site; they could arrange to have it delivered to the store later that afternoon. My window was short as I had other work meetings. The guitar quickly disappeared from their website. I was crushed. August 2025\. My wife and I are on Mackinac Island, which is the kind of place you go specifically to not think about guitars. I'm not thinking about guitars. *Yeah, right*, he says as he looks down at the various guitar porn magazines next to the sunscreen and boat drinks. Then my phone goes off, and it's Eric. If you've read anything here before, you know [Eric. Fellow collector](https://www.instagram.com/thumb%5Fcoast%5Fguitars/?ref=blotnik.net), human early-warning system, the guy who finds the thing and then makes sure I know about the thing. He'd spotted her — back at Detroit Guitar, used, listed again. He put me in touch with Charlie at the shop, and while I sat by the water at the far top of the state, hundreds of miles from my guitar room, Charlie sent over photos and the specs off the Floor Traveler. I balked for a minute, thinking I could handle this when I got back home from vacation; then I thought better of it and reached back out to Charlie to close the deal. “Sorry, just sold,” Charlie said. This was the second time I chased this elusive guitar and it was now gone again. Two sightings. Two misses. And I want to be clear that both were self-inflicted. Nobody outbid me. Nobody sniped me. Twice I had the guitar within reach, and twice I let a lunch schedule or a lake view talk me out of it. I shouldn’t have balked. Never balk. In late September 2025, the guitar reared its relic’d head again, this time on the Fender Custom Shop forum on strat-talk.com. The poster – JoeM19 – shared, “Not usually a fan of heavy relics, but this one just checked all the boxes.” **About that neck…** The guitar caused a bit of a stir on the forum, as other posters began debating with Joe about the guitar. She was spec'd as a '63\. But she wore a maple fretboard. And to anyone who knows their Fender history, those two facts don't belong in the same sentence. Here's why. By 1963, the standard Stratocaster had moved off maple necks/boards. Fender switched the production Strat to a rosewood fretboard around 1959 — first the thick "slab" board, then the thinner veneer boards you see through the mid-'60s. A 1963 Strat is a rosewood-board guitar, full stop. It's why every Custom Shop '63 you'll ever see listed — Time Machine, Vintage Custom, the whole catalog — ships with a rosewood fingerboard. That's the correct period spec. A maple-board '63 reads, at first glance, like a contradiction in terms. Go ahead and google that model from the Fender Custom Shop and see what you come up with – I dare you. You won’t find another ‘63 model with a maple neck/fretboard. Joe defended himself, sharing specs from the floor traveler, and everyone was scratching their heads. One poster shared “when I got my Vintage Custom ‘62, with maple cap neck, Fender reps had justified the design by saying rare examples were produced.” I reached out to Joe and told him that this was the third time I had seen this guitar after two previous swings and misses; if he ever wanted to sell the guitar - hit me up. Joe said “If it makes you feel any better, I’m an unabashed flipper, keep watching…” True to his word, Joe reached out in October. We agreed to meet at my bank the next morning, and at last, the guitar was mine. **R102508** The guitar model is listed as a 1963 Stratocaster Heavy Relic. The body is *ash*, not alder – which, to my eye, gives it great ‘grain’ appeal. Produced in May of 2020, it’s listed as a Heavy Relic… boy, if this is heavy relic, I hate to see what the finish apprentice’s view of super heavy relic would be. This thing looks like it’s been to hell and back. To justify this, the build notes spec it "Super Super Heavy Relic". That’s a new one on me… Super – Super Heavy Relic? Let’s take a deep dive on this neck: round-laminated maple cap, 2-piece, no skunk stripe. That's not a one-piece maple neck like a '54 or a '70s Strat. It's the exact construction Fender used for their rosewood boards in that era — a separate fingerboard cap glued to a maple neck with a curved (round-laminated) seam — except here the cap is maple instead of rosewood. This guitar is literally a '63 rosewood-era neck with maple for the fretboard. In addition to the bizarre maple neck/board configuration, this guitar is tricked out with all gold relic’d hardware… on a very heavy-relic '63\. An unusual, almost contradictory pairing — worn-to-hell finish with dress-up hardware… kind of like wearing cufflinks with torn raggedy jeans. Given all this, one would presume this is a Limited Edition model (and a Limited Edition, as regular readers know, ticks a big box for me). However, it’s not. No special order, no limited run… What gives? The Floor Traveler states the original dealer was [Detroit Guitar](https://detroitguitar.com/?ref=blotnik.net). To dig further, I reached out to Charlie at DG for any background information he may have on this instrument: “Couldn’t find much info on it. We switched software in 2021 so there’s only so much I can see. I can tell you it wasn’t a special order based on the PO that shows on the spec sheet, and it wasn’t a showcase guitar based on the same. My guess is that it was something we ordered for stock. Back in those days, one thing that we used to do a lot was find a CS that we liked and change the color and level of distress, so it’s very possible that’s what we did.” **Test Drive.** Let’s saddle up and take the Unicorn for a test run. The “63-C” profile neck is slightly chunky (not necessarily a baseball bat, and to be fair, I have small hands). But it is comfortable to play, and I love the relic finish that FCS does on the back of these necks so much so that I can barely play a standard lacquered neck anymore. This guitar has some of the same electronics features we previously discussed when we profiled the [Mischief Maker](https://www.blotnik.net/some-assembly-and-mischief-required/): Master Volume, Master Tone, and a Neck/Bridge Pickup Blend on the third knob. On this guitar, the Blender allows one to blend in the Neck pickup in switch positions one and two: Position 1: Bridge with Neck Blend; Position 2: Bridge and Middle with Neck Blend. This ½ Blender pot bleeds the *neck* pickup into positions it normally can't reach — so you get neck+bridge together for that "Tele-ish" honk that a stock 5-way Strat can't do. This Blender knob is rapidly becoming something I really dig, and am thinking of installing on all of my go-to guitars – it’s a really useful tonal tool that tempers some of the harshness of the bridge pickup – especially for hard rock sounds. Overall – the Unicorn is a rock-n-roll machine. It sounds great on all classic and harder rock tunes. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5151--1--1.jpeg) **Don’t Balk at Unicorns.** I chased the Unicorn for nearly a year. This guitar had been floating around the Detroit community for a while; not sure why – it’s an awesome guitar. The Unicorn is in my stable now. When you spot one in the wild, never balk. **The Specs** | | | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Model | Fender Custom Shop 1963 Stratocaster, Heavy Relic — Maple Neck (built on the Custom Shop '60 Strat platform, certified as a 1963 Heavy Relic Strat) | | Serial | R102508 | | Built | 2020 (ordered June 2019; Traveler printed June 24, 2020) — through Detroit Guitar | | Finish | Super Faded/Aged 3-Color Sunburst, thin-skin nitrocellulose; Heavy Relic (build notes spec it "Super Super Heavy Relic") | | Body | Two-piece select ash, '60 Strat body | | Neck | Rift-sawn maple with a round-laminated **maple cap** fingerboard — two-piece, *no skunk stripe*; 1963 "C" profile, medium-tint nitro, heavy-relic back | | Frets | 21, narrow-tall 6105; 9.5″ radius; 1.650″ bone nut | | Headstock | Small '60s headstock, three-patent-number '63 decal, vintage Fender-logo gold relic tuners | | Pickups | Hand-wound 60/63 Strat set, RWRP middle | | Controls | Volume, tone, and a Custom Shop ½ blender pot (dials the neck pickup into every switch position); 5-way switch, 250K split-shaft pots | | Bridge | Custom Shop vintage synchronized tremolo, relic'd; vintage-upgraded '60s trem arm | | Hardware | Gold throughout (vintage relic) — R-series gold neck plate, gold trem, gold tuners | | Case | Fender Custom Shop brown Strat/Tele hardshell | | Original List | Unrecorded — Detroit Guitar's pre-2021 records didn't survive their software change | ### Some Assembly (and Mischief) Required. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/some-assembly-and-mischief-required/ Last updated: 2026-07-20T15:14:35.000Z The first time I saw a strat with a tele neck was in photos of Jimi Hendrix at the Newport Pop Festival which took place on June 20 and 22, 1969 at Devonshire Downs, a racetrack in the San Fernando Valley, outside of Los Angeles. ![Photo of Hendrix at Newport Pop Festival used with permission by Kevin C. Goff](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/Hendrix-1.jpg) Hendrix at Newport Pop Festival; Photo by Kevin C. Goff; used with permission Purportedly, Hendrix broke the neck off of one of his white strats. Fender did not have any Stratocaster necks on hand, but did have Telecaster necks. Hendrix’s roadies, working with a local luthier, installed a new Telecaster neck on the strat body in time for the Newport performance. Could this have been one of the first “parts-casters” in history? In 1993, Austin Texas blues-rock guitarist [Ian Moore released his major label debut album which featured his battered black “mongrel” strat](https://www.instagram.com/p/CztvDrApft1/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==), combining a ’62 Stratocaster body and a ’55 Esquire neck. You may also recall Moore from his brief role as ‘Randy Horsefeathers’ in the Billy Bob Thornton film – Sling Blade. "Randy, you tuning son of a bitch, go f\*cking practice, Randy!" screams Dwight Yoakam. All this suffices to say: I’ve always been intrigued with the look of a strat with a tele style neck. It’s no wonder that when the Custom Shop introduced the Mischief Maker as a Limited Edition Model in 2016, I had to have one. **CZ530241** I tracked this one down as a used model through Guitar Center’s inventory. Again, I checked that the guitar met many of my pre-requisites for purchasing a Fender Custom Shop Guitar – it had the COA (non-negotiable), the original case and much of the case candy. However, the guitar was missing the Floor Traveler sheet, and the customary black leatherette folio. Upon contacting Fender Consumer Relations, they were kind enough to send me a spec sheet but did not have a floor traveler available. The leather folio is another story; these are rare, hard-to-find, and expensive if you are able to locate one. I won’t get into how I landed mine as I hesitate to give away too many secrets. Sorry, dear reader. These guitars originally listed at $4150 from the FCS; I scored this one for a little over half that. Once I obtained the guitar through the Guitar Center network (thank you, Billy Reedy), it was off to [Clay Avenue Guitars](https://www.clayavenueguitars.com/?ref=blotnik.net) for Jesse to work his luthier magic. If you’ve been following my articles, you know that I won’t bring a guitar home to play, unless Jesse has brought it up to snuff. The guitar is finished in black (hearkening back to Ian Moore’s mongrel), heavy relic’d over a three-color sunburst on a lightweight alder body. This model also came in Daphne Blue, Olympic White, Aged Sea Foam Green, Faded Fiesta Red, Faded Aztec Gold, and Aged Lake Placid blue - all over a Three-Color Sunburst. The neck is a lovely one-piece tinted birdseye maple with a 10/56 “V” shape, a 9.5” radius and jumbo frets. It sports a Telecaster headstock with the Fender “spaghetti” logo and the word “TELECASTER” imprinted. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5127.jpeg) Interestingly enough, for anyone that has ever tried to install one – you will find that a Telecaster style neck is squared off at the bottom of the heel, as opposed to a Stratocaster neck which is rounded off at the heel. The Mischief Maker features a tele-style headstock, but the heel is appropriately rounded off to fit like a traditional Stratocaster. Minor detail, but worth noting. Originally introduced for the Winter NAMM show that year, the Mischief Maker is more than just a strat body with a tele neck. The pickups are a big differentiating factor: the guitar features a hand wound 1969 neck pickup, reverse-hand wound/reverse-polarity '65 middle pickup and hand wound Texas Special bridge pickup. Further tonal options are gained from the unique on-board controls: Master Volume with Tone-Saver Bleed (which permits volume reduction without sacrificing tone), Master Tone with the Greasebucket tone circuit (when rolled down, the tone pot reduces the high frequencies, but does not add bass), and the 3rd knob is a Neck/Bridge Pickup Blend. **Let’s Take a Test Drive** First, the guitar has a beautiful neck – the one-piece birdseye maple has a lot of flame on the back, coupled with the birdseye flecking peppered throughout. In the hand, it’s very comfortable to play and a bit reminiscent of the FCS 70thAnniversary ’54 Stratocaster model, which I previously detailed here (insert link). Each of the pickups is very articulate. The on-board controls work as advertised; frankly, I find the third knob – the pickup blend to be the most interesting; it blends in the neck pickup with the bridge pickup. While this setting would be available in the middle position of a standard 3-way Telecaster switch, this combination is generally unachievable through standard Stratocaster switch wiring. Moreover, the fact that you can ‘blend’ in the amount of neck pickup you desire to balance with the bridge pickup offers a host of nice options. Frankly, I could ‘desert-island’ this guitar (that is to say, if I had to choose just one to take with me forever). The Mischief Makers were originally produced as a [limited run](https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/1510060%5FLimited%5FEdition%5FHeavy%5FRelic%5FMischief%5FMaker%5FPRP%5FNP%5F20170209.pdf?ref=blotnik.net), and team-built in 2016/2017; the model was later reintroduced in 2023/2024 in a variety of solid colors relic’d over paisley. My guitar was made in January of 2017, so it’s from the first run – Fender Consumer Relations informs me that there were only 50 of this model made in this color scheme. I have heard that the Olympic White version only had about 20 models produced. These are indeed a rare find out in the wild, and I would advise you keep your eyes open for one to add to your collection – you won’t be sorry; it’s a great guitar. **Gary Vann and his Bullet** As yet another point of reference to the strat body / tele neck combination, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my friend Gary Vann. When I was around 15 or so, Gary was a neighborhood kid who also happened to be a hotshot guitar player. I was in awe of Gary – he could play Crazy Train and all sorts of rock guitar riffs – all on an early Squier Bullet – a strat with a tele headstock. That’s right: In late ’83 / early ’84, Fender offered student-style guitars – under the Squier branding in the form of the early “Bullet” series which featured a smaller 2/3 style strat-type body with, yes, a Tele headstock. Gary has since passed away, and if any of his family or friends are reading this, I want them to know that Gary had left an impression on me that has lasted over forty years later. So much so, that for my birthday one year – my wife bought me a mid-80s vintage Bullet that I cherish to this day. It always takes me back to being a kid, sitting in Gary’s bedroom, being blown away by what he could play. My ongoing fascination of a strat with a tele headstock has traversed through Hendrix, Ian Moore and you, Gary. **The Specs** | | | | ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Model | Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Heavy Relic Mischief Maker | | Serial | CZ530241 | | Released | 2016 Limited Edition, Winter NAMM | | Finish | Faded Black over 3-Color Sunburst, Heavy Relic | | Body | Alder, 2-piece | | Neck | 1-piece Birdseye Maple, 10/56 "V" shape, 9.5" radius | | Frets | 21, 6100 Jumbo | | Headstock | Telecaster-style | | Pickups | Hand-wound '69 (neck), reverse-wound/reverse-polarity '65 (middle), hand-wound Texas Special (bridge) | | Controls | Master Volume w/ Tone-Saver Bleed, Master Tone w/ Greasebucket, Neck/Bridge Pickup Blend | | Bridge | 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo | | Hardware | Nickel/Chrome Relic | | Case | Deluxe Hardshell, Certificate of Authenticity | | Original List Price | $4,150 | ### Two Blondes are Better Than One. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/two-blondes-are-better-than-one/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T13:13:32.000Z Often, my wife will be looking at two expensive options for something, and she will ask my opinion. I usually respond with: “There was this one time when I was looking at two very expensive guitars and I couldn’t make up my mind; so to solve it, I just bought ‘em both…” Granted, she doesn’t laugh. Nor should she; it may be a funny one-liner, but it’s not my best moment. So begins the tale of the two blondes: **R131311** You may recall that there was a period when I was trying to distract myself from purchasing a [70th Anniversary Strat](https://www.blotnik.net/annie-are-you-okay-the-70th-anniversary-54-strat-2/). That guitar was at [Metronome Music](https://www.metronomemusic.com/?ref=blotnik.net) in Mansfield, OH. While checking out that strat on Metronome’s website, I stumbled onto this guitar: a Fender Custom Shop LTD 1951 Telecaster, Heavy Relic- Aged Nocaster Blonde. I’d been on the hunt for a true vintage-style T-model: Esquire, Nocaster, Tele… ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5021.jpeg) One afternoon shortly thereafter, I was picking my wife up from work and sitting alone in the car outside…waiting… waiting. That’s dangerous to leave me alone with idle hands… I dialed up Josh at Metronome and began to bounce some ideas back-n-forth. The next thing you know, I had fished my credit card out of my wallet and was rattling off the numbers just fast enough before my wife got to the car. The guitar has an incredible heavy relic finish. It is also a Limited Edition, which if you’ve been following my other articles, you will know this checks a box for me when looking to add to my FCS collection. This guitar isn’t associated with any FCS dealer event; rather it’s from the Fender Custom Shop’s 2021 Collection. She has a big ‘ole neck on her (did all ‘50s telecasters have huge baseball bat necks? I would not know firsthand, never having had the privilege). The AA Flame quarter-sawn neck has a compound radius (7.25 – 9.5) and a 10/56 “V” neck shape. Despite the huge neck, the combination of the compound radius, the soft “V” profile, and the relic finish result in a neck that is surprisingly comfortable to play. The pickups are Hand-Wound '50-'51 Blackguard – purportedly faithful recreations of the original blackguards. This Tele has the standard '51 Modified Nocaster Wiring with Bridge/Neck Blend. The guitar also shipped with an optional Fat '50s wiring harness. The Fat '50s wiring is a bit more modern; this harness offers volume and tone control in all 3 switch positions, and a cap on the volume pot that keeps the high-end from getting lost when rolling back on the volume knob. The 2-piece ash body is finished in “Nocaster Blonde” – not to be confused with the prototypical “butterscotch” finishes on Telecasters. The difference is really a matter of time. Nocaster Blonde reflects the lighter "White Blonde" finish those guitars left the factory with in the early fifties. Butterscotch is the color many of them became after sixty or seventy years of aging, as the clear nitro finish slowly yellowed. Fender's interpretation has varied considerably over the years—sometimes landing on a natural, convincing patina, and other times drifting into a bright yellow-orange color that can look a bit overcooked. **Today’s History Lesson.** This guitar brings us to an interesting point in history – and a story which I am certain you’ve heard countless times before. This legendary model was originally born in 1950 as the Fender Broadcaster. On Feb, 20, 1951, Fender received a Western Union Telegram from the Fred Gretsch Manufacturing Company requesting that Fender cease using the Broadcaster model name which Gretsch had used on some drums and banjos. In an effort to stave off any further legal action, Fender management immediately pulled the Broadcaster name off the headstock of its guitars and from all advertising. For a few months, these guitars were produced and sold with no name on the headstock other than the Fender logo. This run of guitars became known as “Nocasters,” and represents an exceedingly rare and collectible guitar in the history of Fender. By April/May of 1951, the guitar was officially re-named the “Telecaster”. **R105923** Two days after I purchased the ’51 described above, I bought this 2017 Ltd. NAMM 51 Nocaster Heavy Relic. I’ve previously espoused the virtues of these [NAMM special edition](https://www.blotnik.net/patience-cash-and-a-police-station-chasing-fcs-namm-editions/) guitars. Approximately 80 of this specific NAMM model were produced, with this one being built August 14th, 2020. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5016.jpeg) As I noted earlier, I’m fascinated with these early T-styles… I’d been chasing one of these official Nocasters for a bit. This one seemed to fit the bill. This particular guitar had made the rounds; It started out at the Music Gallery in Highland Park, IL. From my research, I could see she had been back in on trade at one point, and she eventually showed up at [Uncle Ike’s Music & Sound](https://www.uncleikes.com/?ref=blotnik.net) in Dubuque, IA. Zach at Uncle Ike’s was only too happy to accommodate me. No idea why this guitar had been making the rounds; it’s a very nice guitar. It had met all my pre-requisite, non-negotiables: COA, Floor Traveler, original case, case candy, etc. I always take my newly acquired guitars to Jesse at [Clay Avenue](https://www.clayavenueguitars.com/?ref=blotnik.net) for initial set-up. Perhaps that’s why guitars like this make the rounds; no one ever bothers to have them perfectly set-up by a master luthier like Jesse. The heavy relic work is not as (perhaps) overdone as the ’51 described above; it is very tastefully done. And there’s that big ‘ole honkin’ neck again… this time it’s a “Nocaster ‘U’” profile, at a 9.5” radius. Now for the pickups; this is where things get interesting… As opposed to the HW 51 Blackguard pickups on the previous guitar we discussed above, this model has a Hand Wound Texas Special in the neck position, and a HW Nocaster pickup in the bridge position. So what's the actual difference between the Nocaster and the Blackguard bridge pickups? Fender calls the Blackguard a "faithful recreation" and the Nocaster "period correct" — both bridge pickups run an Alnico 3 magnet, so on paper they're nearly identical. Are you as confused as me? Thought so. **The Two Blondes.** So what happens when you get these two blondes alone together on the couch? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_2762.jpeg) The two guitars share the same DNA; both guitars trace back to that same 1951 story, just from different ends of it — one from the no-name months, the other from right after Fender settled on 'Telecaster’ branding. Although both are “Nocaster Blonde” in color, it's interesting to see the side-by-side difference between a 2020 build and a 2023 build from the Custom Shop — even though the Nocaster traces its design back to that original 2017 NAMM edition. The 2020 is slightly paler – or maybe it’s already aging and fading, as nitrocellulose should. The necks are an interesting delineating factor. The Nocaster neck is BIG and all up the board, as you would expect from the “U” profile at the 9.5” radius. On the ’51 Tele, the compound radius and the “V” profile make the neck a bit more accommodating and comfortable to play. **So how do they sound?** In the bridge position, both guitars do what a Tele is meant to do – twangy. To my ears, the Nocaster bridge pickup has a bit more ‘snarl’ to it, but both do the job. The neck pickups are where the differences lie: The HW Texas Special in the neck position of the Nocaster is bright and crystalline. For the ’51 Tele, the HW Blackguard pickup in the neck position is warm and articulate – perfect for jazz chords and comping. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/07/IMG_5045.jpeg) **I think I will keep Two-Timing them…** I like both guitars and I am grateful to have them in my FCS collection; together, they definitely fulfill that need of what a 50’s style Telecaster should bring to the party. I often see other similar ones which catch my eye, but then I remind myself that I have two good ones in my stash, both Limited Editions, and one with some NAMM provenance. ### The Cookie Monster and Breaking My Own Rules. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/the-cookie-monster-and-breaking-my-own-rules/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T14:31:42.000Z When I first started seriously collecting Fender Custom Shop guitars in 2022, one of my main hunting grounds was the used inventory at Guitar Center. GC prices on used FCS have since skyrocketed, often asking more than new guitars. But at the time, you could find some interesting, cool FCS guitars for under $3K. Now, I’ve gotten burned on many of these purchases; Guitar Center does a piss-poor job of pre-qualifying the guitars they take in as used. Often, these guitars have been bastardized, changed parts, missing documentation, etc. Fortunately, Guitar Center has a good return policy, and I have often bounced the more questionable purchases back. My non-negotiable items include the original case, COA, and Floor Traveler. This usually involves calling the store that has the used guitar and troubling the poor staff guy that answered the phone to go bird-dog these items down. If things check out, I’ll have my own guy Billy Reedy at my local store place the order. This is one of those guitars: 2017 Ltd Heavy Relic ’59 Strat Roasted **CZ542127** When I spotted this guitar, it reminded me of SRV’s original ’59 (which has since been documented as a combination of various parts from the late 50s and early 60s). The guitar at GC was a reliced sunburst and had an interesting tortoise shell pickguard, along with a beautiful looking roasted neck. Everything appeared to check out so I ordered her and waited anxiously for her to arrive at my local GC. The thing you don’t know is if the guitar has had the pickups or other electronics changed out, which would be a deal-breaker for me. When the guitar arrived, Billy called and noted that the guitar had the original aged anodized gold pickguard in the case. I asked Billy to have his tech open her up to check if the pickups were original and, if so, swap them back into the original guard. Billy texted some pictures of the guitar opened up to verify these were the original Custom Shop pickups and I awaited getting her in my hands. Excited, I forwarded the texted photos to my good buddy and [fellow collector Eric](https://www.instagram.com/thumb%5Fcoast%5Fguitars/?ref=blotnik.net). Eric responded, “what’s with that chunk taken out of the body? It looks like the Cookie Monster got hold of that one…” In my excitement over the revelation of the original pickups being present, I didn’t look closely enough at the photos… some idiot had hacked up the bridge pickup cavity, presumably to accommodate a humbucker at some point? I should have cut this acquisition off right there and then. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/20231205_110736.jpeg) But in my giddiness, I decided I should get her and play her for a bit. I really wanted to try that roasted neck and see if any of that SRV-style magic was present in this guitar. I could always return it later. Upon picking the guitar up from GC, the first thing I did (and always do) was to drop her off with [Jesse at Clay Avenue Guitars](https://www.clayavenueguitars.com/?ref=blotnik.net) who does all my setups. I won’t even play a guitar unless Jesse has worked his magic. When I finally got the set-up guitar home, I was smitten. The guitar is really broken-in, it feels like an old, vintage guitar. The guitar has the original gold anodized reliced pickguard. However – the back cover plate (also reliced anodized gold) was missing… UGH. You don’t know what I went through to track down a suitable replacement. It was a lot of hit-and-miss to find the correct part. The Custom Shop does not sell parts like this at a retail level. The commercially available components online proved to either be fake plastic made to look like metal, or had the incorrect string access hole fabrications. I finally found a correct plate made by Fender, but it lacked the relic work. I could always take some steel wool to it, but that may be a future consideration. In the meantime, the guitar is well on its way back to original parts/condition. The roasted neck is wonderful. The neck is quartersawn roasted maple — this is the detail that drove my decision to keep it despite the hack job. The roasting process stabilizes the wood and changes the feel and resonance in ways that you notice immediately. 1959 was a year of transition for the Strat; In May of ’59, Fender changed the way necks were produced, switching from a one-piece maple neck to maple capped with a "slab" rosewood fingerboard. Appropriately, this guitar’s neck is topped with a period correct flat lam AAA CITES rosewood board. **Gum-Shoe Work.** Internet searches revealed much more about the history and provenance of this guitar. I was able to track down the original retail specs for [this guitar listed by Humbucker Music](https://www.humbuckermusic.com/products/fcs-1959-heavy-relic-strat-3ts?srsltid=AfmBOorBoOkOqxKqmBGS-KE2Ufka5UyHc6ZNuKpy-BB-DET63afuFr8I&%5Fsu%5Frec=3eYV0CIixFNfQbilaIoSlAaBFyonI9HUrd3oAGdOJT9xlv4JHXx5qLUUITq9DlHCW8OlC2sTdfBJNZTIoso81EnFa0Rftqe9txnJhIMXnHvkEMHagHL%5F4lVjJKNaMvt0wdaxYds8SmfKgOZo40WmmBRvMHyyJUF5QTpJY-oWU9e1oTAw8UQuTHvkKbOnJK5SHEXaHv5Q00HnljITfIi1MFrd0bZp7tH%5Fb8ZQNJkMcRhoJUqVz4PV3W6NjEvE0ny58buNze9IHVrksWKixsvPhj8su2SnHJUpju-F8rj0otYMIkRk-87yBZ4QOqQc%5F4mPfEn9CIrSsVUQJJs8KgJTdGnr4z7jSEfVxEWLplAhM1gyXrJRrFcLMSp9X6A8sPCeUlp14hrjoEofJ5n%5FzCOzXEk-%5Fkc&%5Fsu%5Frec%5Fid=7e866818-8822-4e58-9283-cfca4f959551-1781792502&ref=blotnik.net) in Chattanooga, TN. In 2017, the Custom Shop released a run of guitars for NAMM to commemorate 30 years of the Custom Shop: 1987-2017\. This model was originally showcased at a previous NAMM convention, and proved popular enough that Fender reissued the guitar as one of their Top 20 NAMM Limited Editions. Instead of being a chronological run of reissues over the past few years, Fender reproduced these 20 instruments to showcase the most legendary and sought-after Custom Shop builds spanning their entire history. These models are a heavily-favored series of special editions. The Custom Shop logo on the headstock includes “1987 – 2017, 30th Anniversary” as a signifying mark. I’ve [discussed the opportunities to collect NAMM](https://www.blotnik.net/patience-cash-and-a-police-station-chasing-fcs-namm-editions/) Limited Edition Guitars in a previous article. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_4986-3.jpeg) **The Cookie Monster.** While I should have immediately returned this guitar due to the unfortunate hack-job, I am happy to have rescued her. The hack-job aside, I’ve returned The Cookie Monster to her original parts and condition, and she takes a special place in my collection. Just a cautionary tale – do your homework when it comes to buying used, especially from Guitar Center. ### Patience, Cash, and a Police Station: Chasing FCS NAMM Editions. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/patience-cash-and-a-police-station-chasing-fcs-namm-editions/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T13:13:14.000Z I've never been invited to the Fender Custom Shop's annual NAMM showcase. Chances are, you haven’t either. The event is dealer-invite only, held behind closed doors somewhere inside the Anaheim Convention Center each January. For the rest of us, it exists mostly through a handful of photos, videos, and secondhand stories posted online. Every year I study those images like a kid looking through the window of a candy store. Looking at this room full of Custom Shop guitars, I can only imagine what it must be like to walk through those aisles and see them all in person. God, to be loose in that room… **Collecting FCS / NAMM Editions** When it comes to Fender Custom Shop, I am choosey about what I acquire as a collector. One thing I like to focus on is these NAMM Limited Edition models. This is a lesser-known facet of the Fender Custom Shop collecting: how the business-to-business world of NAMM has quietly produced some distinctive and sought-after collector pieces in the Custom Shop's offerings. As of this writing, I have not purchased any Master-built guitars. My collection focuses on Team-built instruments. I find collecting Limited Edition models — especially NAMM guitars — personally rewarding. NAMM is the “National Association of Music Merchants” – the preeminent trade industry association for music manufacturers and dealers. NAMM hosts a massive industry show every January at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Each year, the Custom Shop showcases its NAMM limited edition guitars for attending dealers. Interested dealers browse the hundreds of showcase instruments and they slide their business cards between the strings of the guitars they are most enamored with. Then FCS does a raffle and the winning dealer gets to purchase that guitar for their store. If they did not win, dealers can also special-order individual models as part of a limited run. The ordered guitars will ship with the Floor Traveler listing at the bottom of the Notes section that the guitar was designed for a specific dealer event (such as NAMM). **CZ537447** Let’s talk about a special example. This guitar started life at the Summer NAMM show in June 2018 — not as a purchase, but as a blueprint. The Custom Shop designed and made a showcase model to present at the show, a Fender dealer saw it and ordered this one to sell through their store. This 2018 NAMM Limited Edition '62 Strat was built August 13th 2018; 65 of this particular color and model were made in total. That’s right: only 65 of this model with these specs are out there in the wild. I first saw this guitar listed on my local FB Marketplace, and I was smitten from the moment I saw it. It’s Surf Green over three-color sunburst — a color-over-color finish with the most amazing wood grain running through the heavy relic treatment. ![Photo of 2018 NAMM Limited Edition '62 Strat](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_4936-1.png) 2018 NAMM Limited Edition '62 Strat The owner had a lot of misconceptions about this guitar including its value. He was asking more than retail for the guitar. When I initially offered him $2000 less, he laughed at me. The pursuit was on. I knew it would eventually be mine, but I was gonna have to wait this one out. We would check in from time-to-time; He kept trying to convince me this was a Master-Built guitar (it is not). But it did meet my non-negotiable pre-requisites: it had the COA, Floor Traveler, original case, etc. In looking at the seller’s profile, he was a younger guy, very enamored of this guitar (rightly so, it’s a looker). He had lots of posts with it, and he even stated that he intended to pass the guitar down to his son in the future as a family inheritance. Ouch. He’d reach back out: “Man, you gotta come up with some more money…” “Nope. Standing by what I offered.” “You got any other guitars? You gotta throw another guitar or two into the deal..” “Nope. Standing by what I offered.” Eventually, I kind of put the guitar out of my mind… some time had passed. We were on the lake fishing with our neighbors when I grabbed the net to bring in a monster that Steffy had on the line when the phone started buzzing in my pocket. The wait-out was over; he blinked first. I met him the next day at a local police station (smart move, which I recommend, BTW). Cash and guitar changed hands and I headed off to watch Sunday afternoon football with my boys. The guy smoked so the guitar stunk. The case stunk. The guitar played terrible… always surprises me how poorly set up these guitars are… no wonder guys eventually part with them. A visit to [Jesse at Clay Avenue Guitars](https://www.clayavenueguitars.com/?ref=blotnik.net) fixed that; Jesse dials in all my strats and other guys I refer to Jesse even ask for “the Phil set-up.” She’s a looker. She’s a NAMM Limited Edition, with the paperwork to back it up. In addition to the aforementioned color / finish / woodgrain, this guitar has a really nice CITES Rosewood board, AAA grade. (CITES stands for the *Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species*. It regulates the international movement of certain woods, including some species of rosewood.) The board has “vintage clay” facedots which take on a pearlescent orange-ish look… different from most other fret markers. The guitar has SANKO 6105 fret wire; I am normally not a fan of the tall, narrow frets which sometimes feel like “railroad” tracks under my fingers, but coupled with the 9.5” radius on this board – it feels quite comfortable to play. This was the first NAMM guitar I added to my collection. From a pure playing standpoint, it sits somewhere in the middle of the pack. But guitars like this aren't always about being the best player in the room. Sometimes the story is what earns them a permanent place in the collection. Sometimes you just gotta wait ‘em out. ### Vintage Reissues: The Gateway to the Custom Shop URL: https://www.blotnik.net/vintage-reissues-the-gateway-to-the-custom-shop/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T14:39:11.000Z It’s October 1982… I just started my first year of high school. Like most people, I was ever the awkward freshman, a little over fourteen years old, trying to feel my way into a new school, new faces… trying to fit in. The one constant was my complete fascination with the guitar and my addiction to Guitar World magazine. That’s when I first saw the ads for the new Vintage Reissue Stratocasters from Fender. “The Sound that Created Legends”, stated the ad, along with little vignettes of Hendrix, Buddy Holly and Clapton, armed with old strats. Granted, at this point in my life, I was much more obsessed with Eddie Van Halen and his hyper cool Frankenstrat, than some old-school Strat. But I always loved the Strats. Our next-door neighbor Pam used to babysit me, and her boyfriend Clay had a real Stratocaster. I remember thinking it was one of the coolest things I’d ever laid eyes on. Fast forward seven or eight years – I am now in my early twenties and playing the Detroit rock scene with my hair metal band. My high school buddy and long-time friend Billy had a Vintage Reissue Strat in what appeared to be Sherwood Green… I fell in love with it. Billy wasn’t playing it much and I bought it off him. I fixed the Strat up and I even recall using it to compete in a Detroit guitar competition at the Ritz in Roseville. Sometime afterward, Billy was over my house and he re-connected with the Strat… asked me to borrow it. (I’ve had a long, fun relationship with the guys I’ve grown up with where we ‘keep it in the family’ and borrow guitars from time-to-time). This is one of those times where things didn’t necessarily work out in my favor: Billy called and said he couldn’t give the guitar back; he had fallen in love with it and was keeping it. I couldn’t begrudge him, but I did feel like I missed out. Soon afterwards, local Detroit guitar legend Bobby East (who’s a long-time friend and a phenomenal guitarist in his own right) called me up and said “Phillip – did you ever get that reissue Strat back from Billy?” When I said the guitar appeared to be gone for good, Bobby said “there’s a killer ’62 reissue in Fiesta Red, here at a store by my house on the east side… you should tell Billy to buy you this one to make things even.” God bless Bobby; I called Billy and said “Hey, are you still keeping that Sherwood Green Strat? If so, Bobby found a ’62 reissue at a store by his house… why don’t you buy me that one to make up for it?” A couple days later, I had the ’62 fiesta red Strat. Still have it to this day. The guitar has served as the cornerstone in my collection of early Vintage Reissue Strats, and the catalyst for my lifelong fascination with this model. **Traveling Back in Time.** A host of changes had befallen the Stratocaster’s core design, following CBS’ purchase of Fender in 1965\. The changes hit in the fall of 1971\. These included the new three screw neck attachment with the “Tilt Neck Adjustment” mechanism, the “bullet” head-stock truss rod, and the end of the stagger-poled pickups. Perhaps most significant was the elimination of the original Fender vibrato bridge’s cold-rolled steel block and bent steel saddles, replaced with components made from diecast alloy – intended for cheaper and easier fabrication. These significant changes became indicative of the diminished quality of Fender Stratocasters in the 1970s. And, frankly, they didn’t sound the same. By the early eighties, there existed a growing demand for pre-CBS Stratocasters. Moreover, Japanese manufacturers like Tokai were producing more authentic style Stratocaster copies and beating Fender at their own game. **Shakeup in Management.** CBS responded by recruiting three executives from the US operations of Japanese instrument manufacturer Yamaha. John McLaren was made head of CBS’ Musical Instruments Division; Bill Schultz became President of Fender, and Dan Smith was named director of marketing for Fender’s electric guitars. Enter John Page, who had been hired by Fender in 1978\. He spent nine years working in guitar research and development. Dan Smith and John Page became the dynamic duo to lead the Vintage Reissue campaign. Together, they traveled the country gathering specifications of vintage Stratocasters from the fifties and sixties. By December of 1981, Page completed prototypes of the Vintage Reissue “57” and “62” Stratocasters, and the two models were introduced at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim, CA in January of 1982\. Fender went on to publish a hot new catalog and dealer demand confirmed management’s instincts. However, Fender’s production facility in Fullerton, CA needed significant re-tooling in order to produce the Vintage Reissue models. Consequently, the first models did not hit dealers’ shelves until the end of the year. **CBS Changes the Game.** Despite the initial demand and apparent success of the Vintage Reissue launch, CBS had lost interest in operating Fender and decided to sell the company. Although many big suitors courted CBS for Fender, none appeared to tender offers that would be any more profitable than simply putting Fender into liquidation. Fender President Bill Schultz and his executive team entered into a management buyout of Fender, a deal that was consummated on March 5, 1985\. However, the deal excluded the Fullerton factory and left the new management team without a facility to manufacture guitars. Consequently, USA production of Fender guitars effectively ceased after February of 1985\. Employee counts at Fender went from over 800 people in 1984, to slightly over 100 by early 1985. While the hunt was on for new ground, Fender’s management relied on new business relationships with Japanese company partners to fill the gaps. The new “Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC)” started building a new factory in Corona, CA. Meanwhile, the team had been stockpiling bodies and necks from the previous operations, and began to purchase some production machinery. By the end of 1985, the new Corona facility was able to restart production albeit on a drastically reduced scale. As regards the Vintage Reissue Series, the team was building approximately five guitars per day, using much of old stock from the previous Fullerton operations. Worth noting: the proper name of the model is the original ‘Vintage Reissue’ series (1982 – 1987), not to be confused with the American Vintage Reissue (AVRI) series, when the series was renamed in 1988\. The very early models are also referred to by collectors as “Fullerton Reissues” which denote when the original models were first produced at the Fullerton, CA factory until February, 1985\. **The ’62 Fiesta Red Strat.** Let’s get back to the first Vintage Reissue guitar that Billy bought for me. The guitar has serial number V029548\. Among the many unique features of these guitars, one note hearkens to their hand-made production: There is a pencil inscription of the neck production date, written at the bottom of each neck heel. This guitar’s neck is 10-27-87\. ![Photo showing Neck heel of the '62 Reissue showing pencil date of 10-27-87](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_1236-1.jpeg) Neck heel of the '62 Reissue showing pencil date of 10-27-87 That squarely makes this guitar a Corona produced model, save for another odd feature; the guitar has red-bottom pickups. The Vintage Reissue Series featured three different types of single coils with flat (not rounded or beveled) pole pieces: Red-bottom, grey-bottom, and black-bottom pickups. Sometimes, you might find an early model with some combination of two or three of these color types. As the years progressed, the black bottom eventually became the standard version. So if my guitar was clearly produced in Corona, why does it have these red-bottom pickups, which would be indicative of early Fullerton production? ![Photo of red-bottom pickups in the '62 Reissue Strat](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_1238-1.jpeg) Red-bottom pickups in the '62 Reissue Strat To solve some of this guitar’s mysteries, I consulted with one of the renowned experts in the field of Vintage Reissue Stratocasters: [Adam Isadore](https://www.fenderreissue.com/?ref=blotnik.net)[, Vintage Reissue Authority.](https://www.fenderreissue.com/?ref=blotnik.net) Here are Adam’s notes to me, upon inspecting my ’62 Fiesta Red: *“Great looking guitar. Looks to be an ‘87, the serial number corresponds to late ‘80’s.* *Looks like someone replaced the pickups and electronics with ‘82 red bobbins. The wiring is aftermarket on the pots. I have not seen a V02xxxx serial number RI with factory red bobbins. I think the latest I have seen was like V009xxx with ‘82 neck and red bobbins…..with original factory wiring.* *A lot of the V02xxxx guitars from ‘87 had left over fullerton bodies. The top smooth curve body profile is the ‘fullerton’ contour. This turned to a more angular profile on the corona era bodies (like V03xxxx and on). The 12th fret spacing looks appropriate for Fullerton.* *Likely left over parts from Fullerton, assembled at Corona.”* So – thanks to Adam, I believe my guitar is comprised of some of those stockpiled parts from Fullerton, but put together by the team in the new Corona factory. This guitar is essentially a bridge artifact between two eras of Fender production. The guitar plays great, and I am honored to have it in my collection. The Vintage Reissue series was essentially Fender's first serious attempt to rediscover its roots, and reproduce its golden-era instruments from the fifties and sixties. That effort helped form the culture, expertise, and customer demand that eventually led to the founding of the Fender Custom Shop. ### Annie, Are You Okay? The 70th Anniversary 54 Strat. URL: https://www.blotnik.net/annie-are-you-okay-the-70th-anniversary-54-strat-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-24T14:43:13.000Z Guitar Porn… fellas, you know what I am talking about. I was lying in bed one evening in April 2024, and just like every other evening, I was doom-scrolling guitar porn and waiting for my wife to finish her end-of-evening machinations and come to bed. That’s when I stumbled on this FB post from Chris at [Metronome Music](https://www.metronomemusic.com/?ref=blotnik.net) in Mansfield, Ohio: “I work for a Fender CS dealer in Ohio. We just received this Limited 70th Anniversary 1954 Super Heavy Relic Strat. This guitar is probably the best relic job I have seen thus far and I wanted to share it. This guitar looks amazing in person!” Thanks a lot, Chris. You’re killing me. I knew this was probably gonna lead to trouble, but I bookmarked the post of this beautiful guitar. The comments on the post echoed Chris’ sentiments about the relic job being a work of art, though anyone who's spent time in collector circles knows the relic debate never fully goes away. I happen to love the relic finishes and when done well, I respect the thought, effort and detail that goes into creating them. **The Fender Limited Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster** In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Stratocaster, the Fender Custom Shop rolled out the 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster. The ash body was initially made available in a Wide Fade Two-Color Sunburst lacquer finish in a host of FCS trademark finish options with varying degrees of wear, from Time Capsule (unscathed) all the way up to Super Heavy Relic. The guitar features a one-piece quartersawn maple neck with a special soft “V” profile that is said to be based on an “incredible strat” neck from July 1954\. Additionally, the neck offers a compound-radius fingerboard (7.25” to 9.5”). The package is rounded out with three Custom Shop hand-wound ’54 strat pickups. Other period correct appointments include a single-ply white pickguard and serial-number back plate, 1954-style ABS rounded white pickup covers, skirt-style control knobs and the pièce de resistance – a “football” shaped toggle switch… go ahead, I challenge you: try to find one of these commercially available… I know that I can’t find them anywhere. BTW –"ABS" stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, a durable, impact-resistant thermoplastic polymer used to mold electric guitar parts. Yeah, I had to look that one up. **4019** Every night, I kept coming back to Chris’ post on Facebook. In further researching the model, I was intrigued to realize that the guitar at Metronome Music in Ohio was THE exact same guitar that the Fender Custom Shop was spotlighting on their homepage banner to promote the model and the 70th anniversary celebration. Fender must have photographed this guitar as the indicative global “showpiece” for this model, and then packaged her up and put her out to dealer inventory. Wow. I thought that guitar will not last long and will end up in some lucky high-end collector’s archive. This exact guitar is still (at the time of this writing) shown on the [FCS website](https://www.fender.com/products/limited-edition-70th-anniversary-1954-stratocaster-super-heavy-relic-1-piece-quartersawn-maple-neck-fingerboard-wide-fade-2-color-sunburst?variant=47629177585886&ref=blotnik.net) under the available models. Metronome Music had this guitar listed at the healthy original MSRP, which was/is no small chunk of change. The guitar was bothering me and I tried to distract myself with other guitars. In May, I actually reached out and established contact with Josh at Metronome Music and I bought a FCS LTD 1951 Telecaster – but that’s another story for another time. Suffice to say, the ’54 strat was gnawing at me and when no one bit by June, I contacted Josh again. We negotiated a bit, came to an agreement, and before I knew it, Serial No. 4019 was on its way to me. What’s particularly unique about this guitar’s relic work is the discoloration detail around the tuning pegs. I think the Custom Shop added this detail only to these earlier models. I’ve frankly only seen one other similar one in a CA collector’s stash, which I had made some overtures to acquire (the one that got away? Or maybe she’ll come back?). All the other ones, including two more that I own – do not feature this detail. Not sure why the Custom Shop opted to generally forego this detail on the other models, but I really like it. The same discoloration is accented up in the “fret ghosting”, which carries the aesthetic through the neck. Let’s talk about this neck. Gosh, it’s one of the best necks I have ever played. The soft “V” is truly magical; I’ve played quite a few soft “Vs” and truth be told, I do favor them. Some are more pronounced than others. But this one is remarkable. Coupled with the compound radius fingerboard, the neck is like an old friend, and I can’t get enough when I pick it up. It just feels so comfortable. Fender states that this neck is based on “an incredible neck from 1954”. Boy, would I love to know more about the origins of that original neck. When you find something this special, one usually remarks that “they broke the mold when they made that one” but as proven in my other acquisitions, thank God the mold is available for duplication. ![Ltd. Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster, Super Heavy Relic, Serial No. 4477](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_2888-1.jpeg) Ltd. Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster, Super Heavy Relic, Serial No. 4477 **4477** I dig this model; so much so, that I ordered another FCS 54 Annie model from my local Guitar Center (thanks again, Billy Reedy). As Ferris says, “It’s so choice… if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.” I asked Billy what Guitar Center had in stock for this model in a Super Heavy Relic. He said they had two of them. I negotiated a bit, landed on a price and I bought another one of these (sight unseen, I might add) – serial no. 4477\. When the box showed up, Billy and I unpacked it, and we gazed in awe when we opened the case. 4477 is a real stunner, too. Remarkable wood grain running through the two-piece ash body, further exposed by the heavy relicing process. Somewhere along the line, Guitar Center corporate must’ve unpacked, noticed and photographed 4477, because she now shows up on the GC website as one of two samples when you look up this model. And moreover, there’s that neck again. I could close my eyes and not know which anniversary model I was playing. It wasn’t an accident; this neck is reproduceable. ![Ltd. Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster, Taos Turquoise, Serial No. 4117](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a8/66/a866d618-ad9e-464d-ae96-c1488577799e/content/images/2026/06/IMG_2843-1.jpeg) Ltd. Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster, Taos Turquoise, Serial No. 4117 **4117** Around that same time, a rep at Chicago Music Exchange posted that they were having some amazing deals. I found a used [FCS 70th Annie 54 strat on their website](https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com/products/fender-custom-shop-70th-anniversary-54-stratocaster-2045603?ref=blotnik.net) – this time in Taos Turquoise over an ash body. After a fair amount of back-and-forth, 4117 found a new home. Long before it became a coveted Fender custom color, Taos Turquoise was turning heads on Lincoln automobiles in the mid-1950s. As was often the case, Fender looked to Detroit for inspiration. Interestingly enough, the Floor Traveler for this guitar shows it was initially sent to [Detroit Guitar](https://detroitguitar.com/collections/fender-custom-shop?ref=blotnik.net) – which is one of the prominent local FCS dealers in my area. It’s kind of crazy the way things come full circle to where they started. I love these FCS 70th Anniversary reissues. They always catch my attention – but three may be the magic number for my collection. Besides, I think I should start saving up for the eventual 75th Anniversary models. I sure hope my wife never reads this.