Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster DLX Closet Classic, 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple Neck Fingerboard, Wide-Fade 2-Color Sunburst
The Stratocaster turned 70 in 2024, and the Custom Shop marked it the way they do their best anniversaries — by going straight back to the source. This is a meticulous recreation of the very first production Strats, built with a level of historical accuracy that goes well beyond cosmetics, finished in a Deluxe Closet Classic treatment that puts just the right amount of age on it: the kind of patina a guitar picks up spending decades in the back of a closet, not the dramatic checking and wear of a full Relic.
The body is two-piece select ash with an offset seam on the treble side, just as Fender was doing in 1954. The neck is one-piece quartersawn maple with a specially developed 70th Anniversary Soft "V" back shape, modelled directly from a July 1954 original — not approximated, but based on an actual neck from that month. The fingerboard runs a compound 7.25" to 9.5" radius, which is correct to the era, and the 21 medium vintage frets are the same 47095 spec Fender has been using on their most accurate vintage recreations. Bone nut, 1.625" at the nut, and a neck profile that measures .885" at the first fret and .980" at the twelfth.
The three hand-wound Custom Shop '54 Strat pickups are routed through vintage '54 wiring with a wax paper cap and five-way switching. The original '54 Strat only had a three-way switch, so the five-way is the one nod to practicality in an otherwise archaeology-grade recreation. Hardware is all period-correct: vintage synchronized tremolo, vintage-style tuning machines with Fender logo, disc string tree, and a special 70th Anniversary engraved neck plate that places this guitar in history. The pickguard is single-ply white PVA, the pickup covers and knobs are ABS white in the original '54 skirted style, and the serial number sits on the back plate rather than the headstock, exactly as it would have in 1954.
This is one of a limited run built exclusively in 2024. It ships in a deluxe embroidered Custom Shop hardshell case with a strap and Certificate of Authenticity.
Specifications
Body Material: 2-Piece Select Ash with Offset Seam
Body Shape: Stratocaster®
Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Material: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple
Neck Shape: 07/54 Soft "V"
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Neck Thickness (1st Fret): .885"
Neck Thickness (12th Fret): .980"
Neck Butt Width: 2.190"
Fingerboard Material: 1-Piece Quartersawn Maple
Fingerboard Radius: 7.25"–9.5" Vintage Compound Radius
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Medium Vintage (47095)
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 1.625" (41.3 mm)
Truss Rod: Vintage-Style Heel Adjust
Position Inlays: Black Micarta Dot – 0.25"
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt with 70th Anniversary Engraving
Neck Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '54 Single-Coil Strat
Middle Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '54 Single-Coil Strat
Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '54 Single-Coil Strat
Pickup Configuration: SSS
Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
Potentiometers: 250K 10% Taper Split Flat
Switch Tip: White ABS
Control Knobs: Vintage-Style Skirted White Plastic
Bridge: Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Pickguard: 1-Ply White (.070 PVA)
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style with Fender® Logo
String Trees: Vintage-Style Disc
Tremolo Arm: Vintage-Style
Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
Strings: Nickel Plated Steel (.010–.046)
Finish: Wide-Fade 2-Color Sunburst
Included Accessories: Deluxe Hardshell Case, Strap, Certificate of Authenticity
Model Number: 9236091142