1959 is the year the Stratocaster went to rosewood, and this one has the flat-laminated board of that first run on a quartersawn maple neck with a 1959 "D" back, a fuller carve than the soft V shapes earlier in the decade. The body is 2-piece select alder under a Journeyman Relic finish, with a 3-ply mint green pickguard.
Three Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat pickups, middle reverse-wound and reverse-polarity, run through Vintage Modified #2 wiring with a treble-bleed on the master volume. Tone 2 covers the bridge pickup on its own. A 9.5" radius and narrow tall frets make it an easy player for bends.
The 1960 Stratocaster Journeyman Relic is the obvious neighbour: same aging and board, but a '60s Oval "C" neck and '60s pickups. For a late-'50s rosewood Strat with no aging, look at the Vintage Custom 1959 Stratocaster Rosewood.
Four finishes, all with a 3A Rosewood board: Faded Aged Sage Green Metallic, Faded Aged Sea Foam Green, Super Faded Aged Sonic Blue and Super Faded Aged Shell Pink.
The photos show one example. Wood grain and aging vary from guitar to guitar, so the one built for you will differ in the details.
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
Country of Origin: USA
Body Material: 2-Piece Select Alder
Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Body Shape: Stratocaster
Pickguard: 3-Ply Mint Green
Aging: Journeyman Relic
NECK
Neck Material: Quartersawn Maple
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Shape: 1959 "D"
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" (241 mm)
Fingerboard Material: 3A Rosewood
Position Inlays: Vintage Clay Dot
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Narrow Tall (6105)
Truss Rod: Early '60s
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
ELECTRONICS
Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat
Middle Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat
Neck Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '50s Single-Coil Strat
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Controls: Master Volume with Tone-Saver Treble-Bleed Circuit, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
HARDWARE
Bridge: Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style with Fender Logo
Tremolo Arm: Vintage Upgraded '60s
Control Knobs: Vintage White Plastic
Strings: Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges)
CASE
Case: Deluxe Hardshell