Since 1987, the Fender Custom Shop has been a “dream factory,” producing superb handmade instruments to tailored specs. The skilled craftsmen in Fender’s Corona, Calif., Custom Shop are known worldwide for their artistry in making guitars that range from the fine to the fantastic. Whether it’s building a new custom instrument from the ground up or modifying an existing one, their best is the best. Fender’s finest is the world’s finest.
We’ve compiled a list of the Top 10 Fender Custom Shops that you can get your hands on today! Let’s jump straight in.
Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour Stratocaster NOS
For Pink Floyd fans this really is the holy grail. The David Gilmour Black Strat is the custom designed guitar based on David’s famous guitar used on legendary albums such as ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ and ‘The Wall.’
The Fender custom shop worked directly with David’s long time guitar tech, Phil Taylor to create this incredible signature model. Featuring a Black (Black over Three-colour Sunburst alder body for Relic finishes) with black pick-guard, one-piece maple neck, custom pickups, and David’s now-famous electronics and shortened vintage tremolo arm.
Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Dennis Galuszka Thinline Telecaster Closet Classic (Seafoam Green)
Extremely classy Tele from Dennis Galuszka! Featuring a two-piece semi-hollow Ash body with a gorgeous solid Rosewood neck. The neck has a mid-60s oval ‘C’ profile, Dunlop 6105 frets, 9.5″ fingerboard radius, mother-of-pearl face & side dot inlays and a bone nut. With Custom Shop Texas Tele pickups.
Fender Custom Shop Journeyman Relic Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster (White Blonde)
The legendary Custom Shop Clapton Strat gets some new clothes! Eric Clapton’s personal specs have been mirrored in this new Journeyman Relic Custom Shop Strat including his famous neck shape, noiseless pickups with active mid boost and blocked tremolo.
Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Signature Stratocaster Relic (3-Colour Sunburst)
Fender Custom Shop designers met Donal Gallagher, brother of late great guitarist Rory Gallagher, in Los Angeles in 1997 and received one of the most coveted guitars of all time – Gallagher’s heavily worn 1961 Stratocaster® guitar. Fender initially built 40 replicas for European sale, but was subsequently besieged with requests for more.
Fender Custom Shop Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster (Surf Green)
From his blistering British Invasion beginnings through his amazingly varied solo career and right up to today, Jeff Beck’s Stratocaster guitar has been an integral part of his signature sound. The Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster features a thinner C-shaped maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard and a contoured heel for easier access to the higher registers.
Fender Custom Shop Limited 60th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster Heavy Relic (Two Tone Sunburst)
The Fender Custom Shop celebrates the diamond jubilee of the world’s greatest electric guitar with the 60th Anniversary 1954 Heavy Relic Stratocaster guitar. This special guitar honours the Stratocaster’s very first model year and is finely crafted with a rich selection of features and appointments, in addition to a heavy relic treatment that evokes decades of use, abuse and hard-fought wear and tear.
Fender Custom Shop Limited ’59 Stratocaster Heavy Relic (Olive Drab)
Super-cool ’59 Heavy Relic Strat! The awesome Olive Drab is a pretty rare finish and it fades through to a Lake Placid-esque blue on the forearm contour. The body is extra-light two-piece Ash, the neck one-piece Quartersawn Maple neck with a mid 60’s medium ‘C’ profile (measuring .860″ at the first fret going to .920″ at the 12th).
There are 21 tall/medium width frets on a 9.5″ radius fingerboard, bone nut, eggshell plastics and a trio of Handwound Fat 60’s pickups which give you fantastic, overwound Texas style tones. And there’s also the Vintage Modified #1 wiring which gives the bridge pickup its own tone control. Includes an engraved ‘Limited Edition’ neckplate and blonde Limited Edition hardshell case.
Fender Custom Shop ’65 Stratocaster HSS Floyd NOS (Vintage White, Maple)
Awesome factory Hot-Rodded Strat! Taking a ’65 as the foundation this has been tricked out by the Custom Shop with a whole host of extras. So starting off we have a two-piece extra-light Alder body with a nice, shiny NOS ‘new old stock’ gloss Vintage White nitrocellulose lacquer finish. The back of the body has the custom contour on the neck join to make it easier to access the upper frets. The bridge is a surface mount Floyd Rose Original.
Fender Custom Shop Michael Landau Signature 1968 Stratocaster Relic (Black)
The Fender Custom Shop Artist Collection Michael Landau Signature 1968 Relic Stratocaster is based on Landau-s 1968 Stratocaster, with a hand-selected lightweight alder body, special “custom oval” neck profile, custom hand-wound pickups and wiring, and a worn Black and Bleached Three-color Sunburst nitrocellulose lacquer finishes.
Other features include a round-laminated dark rosewood fingerboard with a 7.25″ radius and 6105 frets, period-correct large headstock, five-way pickup switching, and custom vintage-style tremolo bridge. The guitar comes with a case, strap and Fender Custom Shop certificate of authenticity.
Fender Custom Shop Ltd Journeyman Relic 50’s Stratocaster w/Solid Rosewood Neck (Pewter)
A special guitar that was a NAMM 2016 custom order. Featuring an extra light Alder body, solid Rosewood neck with a ’57 soft ‘V’ profile, a round-lam dark Rosewood fingerboard with a 9.5″ radius, 6105 narrow & tall frets and bone nut. There’s a great combination of Josefina Campos handwound pickups- Texas Special in the bridge and Fat ’50s in the neck and middle (which is reverse wound/reverse polarity) and vintage modified wiring #2. Ships in a Limited Edition case.