FS: Fender Custom Shop Closet Classic '69 Strat / White

[opiante]

2005 Fender Custom Shop ’69 Closet Classic Strat

We’ve all heard the same thing about Custom Shop Fenders… They’re good guitars, but if you look hard enough you can come accross a great one. This is especially the case for these ‘Team Built’ Strats, where you are paying about half as much money as a Master Built one. You can really get agreat guitar if you play enough of them and you know what to look for.

he great news is that with this guitar I’ve taken the searching out of the equation for you. You see, back in the early 2000’s I was obsessed with finding a great Jimi-style Strat. I live in NYC and am lucky enough to have access to some of the best store inventories around. So I had played everything I could get my hands on, taking my time for a couple of years. I buy a lot of guitars so during that period I was playing all sorts of Fenders, from vintage to Master Built and no matter what else I had around, that great late 60’s Strat always eluded me. Many of the originals are duds, and its usually quite rare to find a CS reissue (they are so much more rare then 50’s and early 60’s reissues). And then one day I came across this guitar in a store that had just opened. It was fresh out of the box and just blew me away. It started with the fantastic vintage look, and then as I plugged it in I quickly felt that the tone matched the vibe. There is a wonderfully chimey an mellow thing happening with this guitar that is at the same time both airy and creamy. Just absolutely perfect.

Lets talk tone for a second. There is something special about ’69 RI’s, they have truly unique pickups. There is a lot of chime to them, I see the word bell-like used quite a bit. They have a lower output then usual, but just tons and tons of tone. The feeling of the guitar is captured right and translated thru these pickups. Just great.

Another thing that makes ‘69s special is the neck. It has a shallow U shape, neither thin nor thick, and a gorgeous slightly tinted finish. Additionally it features a rounded laminate maple fretboard. These are easily the rarest Strat necks around. I distinctly remember seeing these on eBay (necks alone) fetching crazy prices. But all that aside, they are just fantastic to play!

This guitar is in great condition overall, with an amazing Closet Classic light relic to it. It just adds to its amazing vintage vibe. There is one notable exception to its otherwise great condition. Almost immediately after buying the guitar, during its very first string change, I accidentally dropped a pair of pliers on it, and one of the tool’s edges left a half inch long indentation on the face of the guitar. You may be able to see it in the pictures, it is in the area where the forearm of your picking hand would usually rest. It may not be a very big deal, but I like to disclose everything when I list an instrument, and I am lowering my asking price because of it.

I see that many CS ’69 Reissues are listed on eBay around $2.8k, but I am only going to be asking for $2,100.00 for this one. Its a great deal for a great player’s Strat. Not interested in trades.

Please email me at opiate@opiate.org with any offers or questions.