This is a tough one for me to let go of. My Fender Custom Shop Ancho Poblano Relic Stratocaster is honestly a supercar of a guitar. It feels alive in your hands, it’s a proper blues thoroughbred with more soul than I can put into words.

I bought it new, and it’s basically stayed that way. It‘s been gigged a handful of times, and comes with everything it originally shipped with: the certificate of authenticity, tags, inspection slip, case candy, and original hard case. Nothing’s been swapped out, nothing’s missing.

The relic work is stunning, the roasted maple neck feels like it’s already been played for decades, and the hand-wound Ancho Poblano pickups… they just sing. Roll the volume back and it breathes, dig in and it absolutely screams. It’s the kind of Strat that makes you want to play for hours and hours.

The serial is CZ528637, dated 10/25/16 (you can see all that on the certificate in the photos).

Truthfully, I’m reluctant to move this one on. If you’re looking for a Custom Shop Strat that feels and sounds as good as it looks, this is it.