A Special Fender Custom Shop Carved-Top Stratocaster with all Gold Hardware
Specially Built for NAMM 1996

1996 Fender Custom Shop Carved Top Stratocaster (Gold Hardware).

This 'Carved-Top' Stratocaster was specially built by the Fender Custom Shop (with all gold hardware) in April 1996 for the then upcoming NAMM Show. The guitar weighs just 8.60 lbs. and has a contoured, two-piece solid ash body with a thinly applied catalyzed urethane lacquer finish over two-tone sunburst. The two-piece, carved flamed maple top has a 1/4 inch 'band' of plain maple which starts (1/2 inch) at the inside of the treble-horn and goes all the way round to the inside of the bass horn (1/2 inch). Birds-Eye Maple neck with a special metal 'roller' nut and a nut width of just over 1 11/16 inches and a very comfortable medium profile ranging from 0.83 inches behind the first fret to 0.88 inches behind the twelfth fret. Birds-Eye Maple fretboard, with 22 medium-jumbo frets and inlaid black composite dot position and side dot markers. Headstock with 1954-60 style 'Spaghetti' logo with "Fender" in gold with black trim, and "Stratocaster" in black beside. Individual Schaller locking tuners with hexagonal metal buttons. On the back of the headstock there is the black 'Custom Shop' decal. Rectangular (with one curved edge) four-bolt neck-plate stamped with serial number "0536" and "Custom Shop/USA". Two Fender 'Texas Special' Stratocaster single-coil 'staggered-pole' pickups in the neck and middle positions with outputs of  6.47k, 7.08k, and 7.34k. One Seymour Duncan 'Zebra' Humbucker in the bridge position with a super hot output of 15.90k. Two controls (one volume, one tone) plus five-way pickup selector switch. 'Telecaster' style control knobs with knurled edges and domed tops. Fender 'Floyd Rose' combined two-pivot, special double-locking bridge/vibrato unit with six adjustable saddles and through-body stringing. All hardware gold-plated. The underside of the neck is stamped in black "Sep 15 1995" with "NAMM" written in pencil and the Custom Shop USA logo stamped in red; The end of the neck is stamped in black "May 16 1995"; the neck pocket is also has the Custom Shop USA logo stamped in red and the numbers "[?] 915" stamped in blue. The bridge pickup cavity has "TEAL TRANS" written in black marker. The potentiometers are both stamped "137 9436" (CTS September 1994). This guitar is in mint as new (9.50) condition. Complete with the original Fender Custom Shop Certificate of Authenticity "Carved Top Stratocaster" Serial # "0536" signed by John Page and dated "April '96". Original tremolo arm and  various case candy including special gold-plated locking strap fasteners, polishing cloth and instruction manuals, and even the original receipt of purchase from Guitar Showcase in San Jose, CA, dated December 19th, 1999. Housed in the original Fender two-latch, center-pocket, 'Tweed' rectangular hardshell case with tan leather ends and red plush lining (9.25).

It would appear that this guitar was specially made for the 1996 NAMM Show and that it was originally supposed to have a Transparent Teal finish. The guitar was most likely held by the Fender Custom Shop for a while and then sold through the Fender Custom Shop distributor - Guitar Showcase in San Jose, CA.

The five-way switch positions are as follows: 1. Neck only; 2. Neck+Middle; 3. Neck+both bobins of Humbucker; 4. Middle+treble bobin of humbucker; 5. Humbucker-both bobins.

The Fender Custom Shop produced a small limited number of this model from 1995 to 1998, after which the design was changed and it became the "The Carved Top Strat HSS".

First introduced in 1954, the Fender Stratocaster is the definition of modern music whether it be rock, blues or country. The Carved-Top Strat has an almost infinitely variety of tones that are achieved by using a number of combinations of two single-coil pickups and one humbucker. Just a few of the Stratocaster players include surf rock pioneer Dick Dale, Buddy Holly, Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Yngwie Malmsteen, and many, many more.