An Artisan Stratocaster dressed in figured maple burl over a roasted alder body, finished in Aged Natural with gold hardware and a 1-ply tortoiseshell pickguard. It is a showpiece that still plays like a working Strat.
The birdseye maple neck has a 1963 "C" carve and a Macassar ebony board with a 9.5" to 12" compound radius: rounder near the nut for chords, flatter up high so bends don't choke. Narrow jumbo frets, a bone nut and clay dots finish it. Three Custom Shop hand-wound Fat '60s single-coils, with a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup, cancel hum in positions 2 and 4, and the second tone knob covers the bridge pickup. The vibrato is a six-saddle vintage-style synchronized unit.
For more figured wood in the Artisan line, look at the Artisan Koa Thinline Stratocaster or the Artisan Korina Stratocaster.
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: Roasted Alder
Body Finish: Lacquer
Body Shape: Stratocaster
Pickguard: 1-Ply Tortoiseshell
Aging: NOS
NECK
Neck Material: Birdseye Maple
Neck Construction: 4-Bolt Standard
Neck Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Shape: 1963 "C"
Fingerboard Radius: 9.5" to 12" Compound Radius
Fingerboard Material: Macassar Ebony
Position Inlays: Vintage Clay Dot
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Narrow Jumbo
Truss Rod: Vintage-Style
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
ELECTRONICS
Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '60s Single-Coil Strat
Middle Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP Fat '60s Single-Coil Strat
Neck Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Fat '60s Single-Coil Strat
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Controls: Master Volume, 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: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
Hardware Finish: Gold
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
Control Knobs: Vintage White
Strap Buttons: Vintage-Style
Strings: Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges)
CASE
Case: Deluxe Hardshell