Masterbuilt 60s Strat magic with road-worn soul
This Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt 1960 Stratocaster Heavy Relic is what happens when a lifetime Strat addict gets everything exactly how they want it. All the snap, shimmer, and bloom of a great vintage 60s Strat, without the sketchy neck resets or museum-piece price tag.
It looks like it has been on every stage since 1960, but under your hands it feels surgically dialed in. The relic work is tastefully intense where it counts, so the neck feels broken in, the body feels alive, and the guitar just pours out those glassy cleans and snarling edge-of-breakup tones.
True 1960 Strat DNA with serious relic mojo
This one is built with classic Stratocaster contours and a 2 Color Sunburst Heavy Relic finish that looks like a favorite lifer guitar, not a prop. The worn edges, buckle rash, and checking are there to serve the feel and resonance, not just the Instagram photos.
You get that familiar Strat ergonomics that lets you play three sets without thinking about the guitar on your shoulder. Plug in, hit a chord, and the whole thing lights up with that airy top end and tight low end that keeps the mix clean instead of muddy.
Masterbuilt feel from first fret to last
A Masterbuilder sweating every detail is a big part of why this guitar feels different the second you pick it up. The neck carve sits in that sweet spot where your hand relaxes instead of fighting the profile, so you can dig into bends and vibrato without fatigue.
The fretwork is dialed: level, polished, and ready for low action that stays clean right up the neck. Real talk, this is the kind of Strat that makes you play better just because everything about it feels predictable and solid under your fingers.
Classic Strat tones that shimmer, bark, and sing
The pickup set delivers the full Strat vocabulary. Bridge position gives you that cutting bite that still has body, not ice pick treble. Think crunchy rhythm, country twang, or pushed blues rock riffs that sit right on top of the band.
Middle and neck positions bring the glassy chime and syrupy, vocal leads. The in-between settings have that hollow quack that makes clean funk and worship parts sound huge without stepping on anyone. Roll the volume back and it cleans up beautifully, push it into a driven amp and it blooms with harmonics.
Built to be played hard, not babied
The Heavy Relic treatment takes away all the fear of the first ding on a high-end guitar. This one is already beautifully beat up, so you are free to actually gig it, sweat on it, and live with it the way Leo intended.
Stable hardware and quality components keep it in tune through bends, trem use, and long sets. It loves pedals, takes well to different amps, and records with very little EQ drama. It is a real-tool Strat built for working musicians who demand top-shelf feel and tone.
From our Evansville shop to your next session
This Masterbuilt 1960 Stratocaster Heavy Relic is in our Evansville, Indiana shop right now, already inspected and set up by our techs. We run it through a full Player-Perfect setup so it shows up ready to make noise.
If you have been chasing that golden-era Strat thing and want the reliability of a brand-new Custom Shop instrument, this is that crossroads guitar. Plug it in and you will know within one chord whether it is coming home with you.
Questions about this guitar? Call (888) 794-8482 and talk to a real player on our team. No pressure, no scripts, just honest gear talk.
