Fender Custom Shop Dale Wilson Masterbuilt 1955 Stratocaster Relic (2012), 2-Tone Suburst, Second-Hand Overview
An awesome pre-owned Strat from one of Fender's best master builders!
Item in good condition. Minor signs of use (small scratches or marks)
Dale Wilson is known across the world as one of Fender's best master builders, and was responsible for reviving the brand in the late 1980s alongside Dan Smith, through the design of the American Standard lineup.
His guitars are synonymous with world-class build quality and exceptional relicing that's virtually identical to a vintage instrument and this 1955 reissue, built in 2012 is no exception! It features a two-piece ash body, sprayed in a two-tone sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer that's tastefully reliced in all the right spots.
The neck is constructed from AA flame maple and sports 21 medium jumbo frets, with an October '56 (10/56) 'V' profile neck that starts out as a soft, shallow V and gradually changes to a C-shape towards the heel. The combination of this profile, with a 9.5" radius and rolled fingerboard edges makes for a neck that fills out the back of your hand and feels incredibly comfortable to play.
The pickups are a trio of Abigail Ybarra hand-wound fat '50s which are a perfect pairing for maple board strats. The guitar sounds sweet and bell-like in the neck pickup, glassy and articulate in both out-of-phase positions and provides plenty of bite in the bridge too.
Aside from the factory relicing, the guitar is in overall good condition with one sizeable ding in the wear patch above the pickguard (visible in listing photos).
The guitar weighs 7.2lbs, comes fully set up with D'Addario 10-46 and includes its original tweed hard case, shop floor traveller, COA and some case candy too. For any further info, please see additional photos of the shop floor traveller, call our second-hand team on 01273 665 425 or email pre-owned@gak.co.uk
