1967 is a particularly notable year for the Stratocaster. The introduction of the Jaguar and Jazzmaster provided some sibling competition for the Strat^® by then, and production numbers were lowered as Fender anticipated phasing it out completely (!). Cut to the June 1967 Monterrey Pop Festival, however, where Jimi Hendrix mesmerized the audience with a monumentally legendary performance that seemed to singlehandedly return the Stratocaster to the height of fashion, forever changing the fate of the instrument. The Fender Custom Shop 1967 Stratocaster Heavy Relic evokes that memorable year’s model in all its glory, with all the scratches, dents and dings of a well-loved workhorse.

A two-piece select alder body wears a Heavy Relic lacquer finish, while the tinted rift-sawn maple neck features a large headstock, ’67 “oval C” profile and 9.5”-radius round-lam rosewood fingerboard with 21 narrow tall frets for streamlined play. Hand-wound pickups include a Texas Special^™ at the bridge, a reverse-wound/reverse-polarity Fat ’50s in the middle and a ’69 at the neck for an ultimate tonal combination, with a five-way switch and Vintage Modified #2 wiring on a three-ply parchment pickguard. Other features include a Custom Shop vintage-style synchronized tremolo, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut and wing string tree with nylon spacer. Also includes deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.