One Of The Most Beautiful Fender Stratocasters Ever Built

This unique Birds-Eye Maple "Custom 1962" Stratocaster was specially built by master luthier John English at the Fender Custom Shop in February 1995. This highly unusual guitar weighs just 7.80 lbs. and has a comfortable nut width of 1 11/16 inches, a medium-to-thick neck profile (very similar to a '55 Strat) and a scale length of 25 1/2 inches. One-piece highly figured Birds-Eye maple body. Highly figured Birds-Eye maple neck with triple-bound slab ebony fretboard with 21 medium frets, inlaid abalone shell block position markers and abalone side dot markers. Headstock with Fender inlaid in mother-of-pearl. Early-fifties style "round" string tree. Individual "no-name" Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. On the back of the headstock there are two decals, one in black with the serial number "D.P.1.", the other in gold "Custom Built / J.T. English / Fender U.S.A." Gold-plated four-bolt neck-plate engraved "Custom Built / For / Norm's / Rare Guitars". Tortoiseshell over three-ply (white/black/white) plastic pickguard with eleven screws. Three Stratocaster pickups with outputs of 6.03k, 5.98k, and 6.69k. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus five-way selector switch. Stratocaster white plastic knobs with ribbed sides and gold lettering. Fender combined bridge/tailpiece with six saddles and through-body stringing. The end of the neck is marked in pencil "J English / 2-27-95", the neck cavity is marked in black ink "J. English / "95" / Norm's" and the foil shielding underneath the pickguard is engraved "J English / Custom Shop / "95" ". All of the hardware is gold-plated and this amazing guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Complete with the original gold-plated bridge cover. Housed in the original Fender Tweed hardshell case with imitation brown leather ends and red plush lining (9.50). With the original Fender Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity dated March 1995, original black leather strap, Custom Shop catalogues, owner's manual, polishing cloth and case-key.

Senior Master Builder John English who passed away last June at the early age of 57 was raised on ‘50s and ‘60s rock ’n’ roll. He joined Fender in 1970, working alongside company pioneers such as Freddie Tavares and Bill Carson, and was a driving force in the early days of the Fender Custom Shop, helping to define the creative environment that continues in the shop to this day. One of the original Custom Shop builders, he was internationally renowned for his custom, concept and art guitars. He was a guitarist, drummer and artist who worked in the United States and Europe, and was a true original whose creations used exotic woods, metals, plastics, stones and bone, and were inspired by music, art, architecture and nature. He built custom guitars for countless musicians and collectors, ranging from Eric Clapton to President George W. Bush. His collaboration with surf guitar king Dick Dale resulted in one of the first Fender Custom Shop signature model guitars; he created Fender’s first Japanese signature guitar with Michiya Haruhata, and his trio of concept guitars created with art phenomenon Shag caused quite a sensation at the 2003 NAMM show.