Fender 2020 Masterbuilt Todd Krause ’61 Stratocaster “UK Relic-Ready” in 3CS

Get for £7,495 (+P&P) by paying via Bank Transfer (U.K. only). Email ed@smokestackguitars.co.uk and follow instructions in "Bank Transfer" section below - we will respond to you ASAP.

Have a guitar to trade-in? We can accept trade-ins of top condition instruments for part-exchange, please get in touch via the above email address for a valuation.

Fender 2020 Custom Shop Masterbuilt Todd Krause '61 Stratocaster "UK Relic-Ready" in 3-Colour Sunburst with Josefina Handwound Strat M.D. LTD Pickups (RWRP Middle), Quartersawn AAA Flame Maple Neck w/'60 Style Oval C Profile, 9.5"-12" Compound Radius Fretboard, 2-Piece Alder Body w/Contoured Heel & Modern Wiring

Serial: 12014

This guitar has just arrived at Smokestack!

For any questions, further details, in-depth condition report, etc., please get in touch via email.

We aim to respond to all enquiries within an hour (day or night).

A photo of the Custom Shop Floor Traveler is available in the gallery. 

Overview

This very special Masterbuilt '61 Strat has just landed with us at Smokestack. It has an extraordinary specification, and we'd go so far as to say that it's one of the most outstanding Masterbuilts we have seen to date!

This incredible creation took 6 years from initial order to delivery (could well be a record!). Officially, it's a Fender 2020 Custom Shop Masterbuilt Todd Krause '61 Stratocaster NOS in 3 Colour Sunburst...However, here's where things start to get a little spicy: The original owner ordered this guitar via a UK dealer but was captivated by Wildwood's (renowned US Fender dealer) exclusive "Relic-Ready" finish option. Todd has therefore finished this guitar to that Relic-Ready spec but this has been omitted from the COA & Floor Traveler due to it being a Wildwood term. In essence, you are getting a "UK Relic-Ready" Masterbuilt...very cool! 

You may already be well aware of this unique finish; if not, you basically have an instrument that's been given an ultra-thin clear coat, which will wear very quickly, so you'll "write your own story" and create a finish that is genuinely relic'd from your own play.

The story of this guitar and its specs keep getting juicier as we go along...Todd loaded the guitar with 3x Josefina Campos Handwound Master Design Limited single-coils. These pickups were previously advertised with John Cruz's name (before he and Fender both parted ways). We've also got modern wiring with one Master Volume and a Master Tone. The volume knob has also been thoughtfully located away from the typical Strat position (right next to the bridge pickup), so it's much harder to accidentally knock when you're giving it the big licks!

For the neck, we have a complete "Todd Krause Tour de Force" - you'll have a very hard job finding a nicer one than this! The original customer shipped his favourite neck (from a Wildwood 10 Strat) to Todd to have it replicated. The profile is a super-comfortable '60 Style Oval "C" and it has a maple fretboard on a very practical 9.5"-12" Compound Radius. Todd took nearly 2.5 years to find the perfect matching pair of AAA Flame Maple blanks for the neck and fretboard; this is exactly the kind of discerning detail that you want from a Masterbuilt and here's your chance to get it without the immense wait! 

Needless to say, the way the fretboard and neck are matched is pretty darn seamless. We were left scratching our heads at first, looking for a skunk stripe on the back for the truss! Other tasty details on the neck include a finely sanded back for a super-smooth worn-in feel, 21x 6100 Jumbo Frets and a set of Vintage Staggered tuners. These staggered-height tuners eliminate the need for a string tree on the headstock face by providing the correct break angle past the nut. 

This guitar has come from one of the UK's finest collections. It is in truly excellent condition throughout and has only had very limited play since new. The frets are also in immaculate condition. 

As intended by the finish, some extremely fine lacquer checking has occurred uniformly across the body. This is a super delicate and consistent "spider web" checking across the whole of the body and looks stellar. Apart from that, there are only some extremely limited signs of any playwear in the lacquer. 

On the side of the lower bout and edge of the waist of the guitar (side where you'd put your knee), there are some super light "lean marks" under the lacquer that appear to be part of the Relic-Ready process and not added later by the customer. As Wildwood notes (see their comments below on what to expect), it is very common for these guitars to have the odd fine relic marks put on the guitar to gently help the relic process get started.

See the Floor Traveler in the gallery for specifications. Please get in touch for more information or if you would like to arrange a viewing. 

The weight of this guitar is 3.39kg (7.47lbs). Please see the photos for all the included case candy.

The original Custom Shop hardshell case is included. This is in generally excellent condition but has a few light marks (including on its handle) from storage.

This Masterbuilt Strat has come from one of the UK's very finest collections; as such, the case has been numbered "245" in marker pen on the front spine between the two left-most latches.

Shipping information is available below. This Todd Krause '61 Strat is feature-packed - if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Consigned goods: Pre-owned item sold on behalf of a private client. No VAT is charged and no VAT invoice is available.

See our other instruments for a stunning selection of the unique, boutique, elusive & off-beat!

What Wildwood say about their Relic-Ready guitars and what to expect:

"Relic-Ready finishes are much, much different than NOS finishes because they only have three or four layers of clear coat. Because the finish is so incredibly thin, Relic-Ready instruments begin the natural relic-ing process the moment they are fully assembled. Since these finishes are designed to wear quickly, sometimes Relic-Readies arrive at our shop having already begun their journey to vintage mojo. So, you can expect things like light dings, small spots where the finish has burned through, light scratching, and checking in the neck pocket. However, you can be assured that your instrument will NOT have any full-body checking from weather, deep scratches, or major dings/blemishes....With Relic-Readies, our idea was to allow the player to write their own story into the finish of each guitar. But, sometimes the process of getting the guitar to you adds a little foreword to the finish to help you get started."