Fender David Gilmour Red Strat Custom Relic Tribute — Made in USA

There are Red Strats — and then there are Red Strats built by someone who knows why the little details matter.

David Gilmour’s legendary Candy Apple Red Stratocaster became one of the defining guitars of Pink Floyd’s later era, appearing throughout the A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Delicate Sound of Thunder, The Division Bell and Pulse years. In 2019, Gilmour’s original Red Strat was sold at Christie’s for an extraordinary $615,000.

This guitar was created as a serious tribute to that instrument — not simply a red Stratocaster with EMGs.

It is a custom-built instrument based around genuine Fender USA American Vintage components, carefully selected for their vintage specifications, appearance and period character. The goal was simple: to get as close as reasonably possible to the look, feel and configuration of Gilmour’s famous Red Strat while creating a guitar that is also genuinely enjoyable to play.

Built Around the Red Strat Formula

Published specifications of Gilmour’s Red Strat identify the fundamental ingredients that made the guitar unique: a ’57 Reissue-style Fender platform, one-piece maple neck, 7.25” radius, 21 vintage frets, Candy Apple Red finish and, in its famous later configuration, the EMG electronics associated with the Division Bell and Pulse eras.

This build closely follows that same formula.

Red Strat Tribute Specifications

• Genuine Fender USA American Vintage components
• Alder body
• Candy Apple Red finish
• Genuine Fender USA American Vintage ’57 Reissue one-piece maple neck
• 7.25” fingerboard radius
• 21 vintage frets
• Vintage-style split-post tuning machines
• Vintage-correct small Fender headstock
• Vintage-style synchronized 6-screw tremolo
• Aged White single-ply pickguard
• Aged White knobs and plastics
• Complete EMG DG-20 electronics system
• 3 × EMG SA active pickups
• SPC mid-boost
• EXG expander
• 5-way selector switch
• Shortened 4.25” Gilmour-style tremolo arm
• Vintage-style string tree
• Custom laser-engraved PLEK symbol on the backplate
• Vintage neck plate with custom-stamped reproduction-style serial number
• Vintage strap buttons
• GHS David Gilmour Signature Boomers (.010–.048)
• David Gilmour-style guitar strap included
• Period Fender American Vintage tweed hardshell case
• Made in USA

Carefully Aged — Down to the Smallest Details

One of the most important parts of this project was getting the guitar to look like one complete, naturally aged instrument rather than a collection of new parts.

The body, neck, plastics and hardware were carefully aged with reference to photographs of Gilmour’s Red Strat. Particular attention was paid to the wear patterns, exposed areas, small scars, aged hardware and subtle details that give the original guitar so much personality.

Even details that most tribute builds overlook were recreated specifically for this project, including the custom laser-engraved PLEK symbol on the backplate and a custom-stamped reproduction-style serial number, both inspired by the corresponding details found on Gilmour’s original Red Strat.

The custom serial detail is purely part of the tribute and is not represented as an original Fender factory serial number.

The goal was never simply to make a new guitar look damaged. It was to capture the appearance and character of an instrument from the American Vintage era of the late ’80s and ’90s that has been genuinely played and loved.

Even the case was chosen with this in mind. The guitar comes with a genuine older Fender American Vintage tweed hardshell case, completing the period presentation rather than pairing the instrument with a modern generic case.

The Heart of the Red Strat — EMG DG-20

The complete EMG DG-20 system features three EMG SA pickups together with the SPC and EXG active controls — the electronics configuration most closely associated with Gilmour’s later Red Strat sound.

The EMG SA pickups provide the clarity and response of a Strat with exceptionally low noise.

The SPC adds progressively thicker midrange for powerful lead tones, while the EXG expands the bass and treble for the wide, polished clean character associated with Gilmour’s later live sound.

Together, they make this guitar considerably more versatile than a conventional passive Strat while retaining the unmistakable character of the Red Strat configuration.

Setup & Playability

The guitar will be fully set up, restrung and intonated before delivery.

The genuine Fender USA American Vintage ’57 Reissue neck is extremely comfortable and easy to play. It is not a chunky or “baseball bat” neck; it has a natural, comfortable feel that works beautifully for chords, bends, vibrato and thumb-over playing.

The classic 7.25” radius and 21 vintage frets provide the traditional Fender feel, while the shortened tremolo arm sits naturally beneath the picking hand for expressive, controlled vibrato.

Nut slots, saddles and string-contact points are carefully checked and lubricated for smooth tremolo operation and tuning stability.

More Than Just Another Build

This guitar is not represented as an original David Gilmour instrument or a factory Fender Signature model. It is a custom David Gilmour Red Strat tribute built from carefully selected genuine Fender USA American Vintage components, with a serious emphasis on the details that made the original guitar special.

The ’57 Reissue maple neck.

The 7.25” radius.

The 21 vintage frets.

The Candy Apple Red finish.

The aged white plastics.

The vintage hardware.

The shortened tremolo arm.

The DG-20 electronics.

The custom laser-engraved PLEK symbol.

The custom-stamped reproduction-style serial number.

The period Fender tweed case.

None of those choices are accidental.

A Little About Me

I have been a David Gilmour and Pink Floyd fan for many years, and over time I have collected and recreated many of the guitars associated with his career. Of course, not the originals — I wish! — but building and owning these instruments has become a genuine passion of mine.

This is also not the first Red Strat I have built by hand. I always begin these projects as guitars for myself, which is why I tend to obsess over details that would be easy to overlook. Eventually I often decide to sell one so I can move on to the next project — and then somehow start building another one.

This Red Strat was no different. It was built for me first, with the same care and attention I would want in a guitar staying in my own collection.

Please feel free to look through my seller feedback and reviews from previous buyers. I take these projects seriously, and I hope that when the next owner picks up this guitar, plugs it into an amp and plays the first few notes, some of that passion comes through.

For a Pink Floyd fan, a Gilmour enthusiast, or simply someone who appreciates a very special Stratocaster, I hope this guitar will be as inspiring to own as it was for me to build.

🎥 Want to see the full story behind this guitar? Please enjoy my YouTube video documenting the complete Red Strat recreation project: 

Enjoy!