Robert Cray's Stratocaster is built the way he plays his own: as a hardtail. The six-saddle strings-through-body bridge has no tremolo, so the strings anchor straight through the select alder body with no springs or trem cavity involved. Gold hardware, a three-ply white pickguard and his signature on the headstock finish it off.
The neck is a 1961 "C" in gloss urethane over a 12" radius rosewood board with 21 vintage-style frets. That flatter radius lets you bend further before a note chokes than a vintage 7.25" board would, and the "C" carve fills the hand without feeling clubby. Three custom vintage-style single-coils keep the voice in classic Strat territory, with tone controls on the neck and middle pickups.
For a fixed bridge from an earlier era, the Vintage Custom '55 Hardtail Strat, the Vintage Custom '59 Hardtail Strat and the 1956 Hardtail Stratocaster Heavy Relic take the same idea back to the 1950s. The Cray comes in Violet or Inca Silver, both with rosewood boards.
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: Select Alder
Body Finish: Urethane
Body Shape: Stratocaster
Pickguard: 3-Ply White
Aging: NOS
NECK
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Finish: Gloss Urethane
Neck Shape: 1961 "C"
Fingerboard Radius: 12" (305 mm)
Fingerboard Material: Rosewood
Position Inlays: White Dot
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Vintage-Style
Nut Material: Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
ELECTRONICS
Bridge Pickup: Custom Vintage-Style Single-Coil Strat
Middle Pickup: Custom Vintage Style Single-Coil Strat
Neck Pickup: Custom Vintage Style Single-Coil Strat
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle 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 American Vintage Strings-Through-Body Strat Hardtail
Hardware Finish: Gold
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
Tremolo Arm: Vintage-Style Tremolo Arm
Control Knobs: White Plastic
Strings: Fender USA 250R Nickel Plated Steel (.010-.046 Gauges), PN 0730250406
CASE
Case: Deluxe Brown Hardshell (Gold Interior)