Fender Custom Shop
Since 1987, the Fender Custom Shop—affectionately known at CME as “The Dream Factory”—has grown to a band of over 50 veteran guitar artisans who take Leo Fender’s legacy to its utmost heights by bringing dream guitars and basses to life. Taking an amp builder’s sensibility to instrument design, Leo Fender’s modular approach emphasized swappable components. This foundational design philosophy portended a future that we now inhabit, in which it’s not only easy to replace individual parts and maintain the longevity of each instrument—but, players also have the ability to customize every component of an instrument, giving them innumerable options when dreaming up their ideal guitar.
'62 Stratocaster
A recreation of a special 1962 Strat, the Vintage Custom '62 Stratocaster is for players and collectors who want a rare example of a rarity - we know, it gets meta. The two-piece body is crafted from alder selected for weight and grain, and sports a NOS flash coat lacquer finish, along with Closet Classic metal parts; a complete Time Capsule package. The real magic of this guitar is in the neck and fingerboard; the ultra-stable, tinted riftsawn maple neck has a "C"-profile that's ideal for thumb-over, or any other playing style. The flat-lam 7.25"-9.5"-radius maple fingerboard is based on ultra-rare examples we found from that era and flattens out as you head for the upper registers, making it easy to bend without fretting out. 21 medium-vintage frets complete the neck, adding even more vintage-style feel and performance to this stunning guitar.
Master Builder: Paul Waller
Paul Waller is a Southern California native with woodworking and luthiery in his blood. He built his first guitar at age 14 in his high school woodshop, joined a cabinet shop right out of high school and, after a stint at a small Southern California guitar maker, enrolled at the acclaimed Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix, from which he graduated in spring of 2000. Waller joined Fender in 2003. He spent two years working closely with master arch-top craftsman Bob Benedetto, and became steeped in the many facets of building techniques from all the Custom Shop’s Master Builders. After an extensive seven-year apprenticeship, Waller became a Master Builder in 2010. His Fender Custom Shop work includes bass guitars for U2’s Adam Clayton, a custom Thinline Telecaster for U2 vocalist Bono, Telecaster guitars for the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and co-work on a Stratocaster for fellow Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Stratocaster guitars for Buddy Guy, the Nile Rodgers “Hitmaker” Stratocaster, and a custom double-neck Jazzmaster for Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.
NOS Finish
NOS (New Old Stock) is built without any relic or wear at all. For vintage-inspired instruments, it feels as if you went back in time and bought it new in the golden-era. Most are finished with nitrocellulose lacquer and in those instances you should expect the finish to age similarly to their vintage counterparts. However, some modern-era Custom Shop creations in NOS are finished in polyurethane, which is far more durable and will likely remain glossy and lustrous for decades to come with proper care.
