Description
What makes this guitar special? This incredibly unique Custom Shop Master Salute Stratocaster has an absolute ton of elements that make it stand out not only just in look, but in feel as well. It is part of a very limited run of only 250 and if that isn’t enough, it also stands as THE May guitar from Fender’s 2009 Custom Shop calendar. Its aesthetic is similarly extraordinary, as its select alder body prominently features hand-applied 14-karat white gold leaf under a nitrocellulose lacquer finish and a rare anodized aluminum pickguard. Its 1-piece maple neck has an exceptional profile that feels like a blend of a C and a Soft V, providing both superior comfort and playability from the nut to the upper reaches of the cutaway. The pickups sound fantastic in every position from the warm and round neck to the bright and crisp bridge, while everything else in between falls perfectly in place, including the ultimately classic 4th position quack with a slightly smoother character. Head to toe, this guitar screams Master Built in every facet and will make the highlight of just about any collection.
Condition: This gorgeous Custom Shop is in mint condition overall. There are only a few light surface scratches here and there, otherwise it is incredibly clean and looks pristine across the board. The frets show only very light wear and still have a full lifetime of playing left in them. The neck is straight. The original Fender certification sheet that is included was actually erroneously printed, so the serial number listed on the cert (CZ502879) is one digit off from the serial on the neck plate (CZ502876), but is verified in Fender’s 2009 Custom Shop calendar (May) showing the neck plate as it is exactly.
Body: Contoured select alder body in hand-applied 14-karat White Gold Leaf nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Rare anodized aluminum pickguard. American Vintage synchronized tremolo bridge. Nickel/chrome hardware. Cream/parchment pickup covers and control knobs.
Neck: Slightly more rounded soft V profile 1-piece maple neck and maple fingerboard with black dot inlays. 1.650” nut width. 25.5” scale. Fender/Gotoh vintage-style tuning machines.
Electronics: Custom ‘50s single-coil Stratocaster pickups in the neck, middle, and bridge. 1 x master volume, 2 x tone controls. 5-way pickup selector.
Weight: 7lbs 3.9 oz
Playability/Sound: This guitar plays like an absolute dream. The neck profile plays effortlessly with chords and solos alike and is perfectly easy to move around from the nut to the cutaway, and with the current setup, plays that much better. The pickups are rich in character from the warm and round neck tone to the bright, snappy jangle in the bridge and everything in between sounds just as sweet.
Case: Includes limited blonde hardshell case plus 1 open and 1 sealed 2009 Fender CS calendar.
