Description
Description
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.
Custom Shop Master Builder Dale Wilson
Dale Wilson arrived at Fender in 2003, joined the Custom Shop in 2005 and became a Master Builder in 2011. Building guitars has been a driving passion for the California native since childhood. “Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved guitars,” he said. “I didn’t dream of being a rock star; I dreamed of building the ultimate guitar. I was equally enthralled with the guitars just as much as I was with the players.”
Woodworking runs in the Wilson family, and the requisite Custom Shop zeal for outstanding craftsmanship has long been part of Dale’s DNA. He did repair work and mods in a small guitar shop right out of high school in the late 1980s; subsequently moving on to stints at Dobro and Rickenbacker before arriving at Fender, where he worked on Guild, Gretsch and Benedetto guitars before beginning his apprenticeship with various Custom Shop Master Builders.
He enjoys calling upon his extensive and varied experience as a craftsman to create highly distinctive guitars such as the Resophonic Thinline Telecaster®. Wilson also built five beautiful custom guitars for the January 2011 NAMM Show while still an apprentice and was asked to sign the back of the headstocks, garnering him his Master Builder status.
Specs
Specs
General
| Series: | Fender Custom Shop |
| Country of Manufacture: | Made in the USA |
| Master Builder: | Dale Wilson |
| Serial Number: | CZ578353 |
| Product Color: | Super Aged Sonic Blue |
| Relic/Aging Level: | Deluxe Closet Classic |
| Case Type: | Hardshell Case Included |
| Factory Setup: | .010-.046, E Standard (E-A-D-G-B-E) |
Body
| Body Shape: | Stratocaster |
| Body Material: | Alder |
| Body Finish: | Nitrocellulose Lacquer |
Neck
| Neck Material: | AA Flame Maple |
| Neck Finish: | Nitrocellulose Lacquer |
| Neck Tint/Color: | Medium |
| Neck Shape: | '57 Soft V |
| Fingerboard Material: | None (1-Piece AA Flame Maple Neck) |
| Nut Material: | Bone |
| Nut Width: | 1.65" (42mm) |
| Fingerboard Radius: | 9.5" |
| Scale Length: | 25.5" (647.7mm) |
| Number of Frets: | 21 Frets |
| Neck Joint: | 4-Bolt |
| Fingerboard Inlay: | Micarta Black Dots |
| Inlay Shape: | Dots |
| Side Marker Inlay: | Black Micarta |
| Headstock Inlay/Decal: | 54 - 60 Strat |
Electronics
| Bridge Pickup: | Fender Hand-Wound '60s Strat |
| Middle Pickup: | Fender Hand-Wound '60s Strat |
| Neck Pickup: | Fender Hand-Wound '60s Strat |
| Controls and Switching: | Vol, Tone, 5-Way Lever |
Hardware
| Hardware Color: | Gold |
| Bridge: | Strat Vintage Gold |
| Tuning Machines: | Vintage with Fender Logo |
| Fret Wire: | Narrow Tall |
| Pickguard: | 3-Ply Gold |
| Knobs: | White Closet Classic |
| Switch Cap: | White Closet Classic |