Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster – 2005 – Early Production – R19700

For sale is a superb 2005 Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster, serial number R19700.

This is a particularly interesting early example of Fender’s celebrated recreation of Rory Gallagher’s legendary and heavily worn 1961 Stratocaster.

The story behind this model goes back to 1997, when Fender was given access to Rory Gallagher’s original Stratocaster through his brother, Dónal Gallagher. The Custom Shop carefully studied the original guitar in order to reproduce not only its specifications, but also its unmistakable appearance and individual quirks.

An initial limited run of 40 replicas for the European market preceded the regular Custom Shop production. The Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster subsequently appeared as a regular Custom Artist model in Fender’s 2004 catalogue/price list. Dating from 2005, serial number R19700 is therefore a desirable early-production example of the regular Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher model. It should not be confused with, or represented as, one of the original 40 guitars.

The level of detail Fender incorporated into these guitars is remarkable. The heavily aged 3-Color Sunburst finish recreates the extreme wear of Rory’s original ‘61 Strat, while details such as the mismatched tuners — five Sperzel tuners and one Gotoh — and the unusual fretboard dot accurately reproduce characteristics of Rory’s own instrument.

Specifications include a select alder body, maple neck with an early-’60s C profile, rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5” radius, 21 medium-jumbo frets, three Custom ’60s Stratocaster single-coil pickups, vintage-style synchronized tremolo and aged nickel/chrome hardware.

Beyond its connection to one of the most influential blues-rock guitarists of his generation, this example is especially appealing because of its 2005 production date. It comes from the very early period of the regular Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute and carries the low Custom Shop serial number R19700.

A fantastic instrument for both the serious player and the Rory Gallagher/Fender Custom Shop collector — instantly recognizable, full of character and built to recreate one of the most iconic Stratocasters in rock and blues history.

Details

• Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster
• Year: 2005
• Serial number: R19700
• Made in USA
• Early regular-production example
• Select alder body
• Heavily relic’d 3-Color Sunburst finish
• Maple neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Early-’60s C neck profile
• 9.5” fingerboard radius
• 21 medium-jumbo frets
• 3 × Custom ’60s Strat single-coil pickups
• Vintage-style synchronized tremolo
• Aged hardware
• 5 × Sperzel + 1 × Gotoh tuner, replicating Rory’s original guitar

A very cool early example of one of the Fender Custom Shop’s most distinctive Artist Tribute models.