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1956 Cunetto Custom Shop Relic Fender Stratocaster 1998 John Cruz "Masterbuilt"
Estimated price for orientation: 2 075 $
Category: Electric Guitars
Class:
Description Condition: Used: An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition Model: Custom Model Year: 1998 Brand: Fender
Up for sale is this extremely rare Vince Cunetto/ John Cruz 1998 Fender Custom Shop Relic 1956 Stratocaster.Video demo here: https://youtu.be/2IjHMSU_N_QThere is a lot of hype surrounding these early custom shop relics. And there is good reason for this! These guitars represent some of the finest craftsmanship and materials ever to be produced by the custom shop. In the mid-1990s, the relic work was farmed out to a man named Vince Cunetto who had been doing customized relic work on guitars for sometime. The simplicity and beauty of Cunetto's relic work sets it apart from later examples.This guitar also has the stamp of masterbuilder John Cruz on the back of the neck. While not technically a "masterbuilt" since this moniker did not arise until later, it is concrete evidence of his part in the process of making this guitar. I've owned several masterbuilt Fenders, and this one surely rivals it both sonically and cosmetically.This particular Stratocaster was a part of an extremely limited run of relics produced by Fender for the foreign market. On the back of the back of the neck you will find written the name "Arbiter." That was the name of Fender's European distributor in the 1990s. All of these guitars were sold in the European market and very few are available now in the USA. As the neck plate indicates, this was part of the "Custom Shop Classic Collection" uniquely released for sale abroad.Unlike other 1956 Stratocasters made for the domestic market, this one lacks the Mary Kay gold hardware. There are not many Cunettos out there like this one with the plain nickel hardware.The guitar bears all the distinctive features of a 1956 Stratocaster. It has a wonderful soft-V neck shape which is substantial but not too bulky. As with many guitars from this period of the custom shop, it has a spectacular flame maple neck which the pictures do not do justice. The pick ups are absolutely fantastic, delivering the purest vintage tone imaginable. The dense ash body delivers clear and distinct tones in every register, and the blonde, semi-transparent finish shows off the beauty of the wood grain. The guitar also comes with a bag full of case candy, including the original three-way switch, the original strap, the original tremolo bar, and the original backplate. update: I have installed the backplate. I don't see the COA in there, but I'm not sure if they were issued with these foreign-distributed guitars. It currently has a five way switch installed, which has been wired so as to allow the first tone control to adjust the bridge and middle pick ups, and the second tone control to adjust the bridge pick up. This can be easily reversed to the standard configuration if desired. Looks like there's a very small repair to the nut by the high E-string, but it's almost undetectable (you wouldn't notice it unless I pointed it out) and has absolutely no effect on the playability of the instrument. There is some minor play wear on the guitar, but it is pretty slight. Very difficult to distinguish from the factory relic on the guitar. Shipping is $59.99 to the domestic USA. International shipping will be through the eBay global shipping program. In the event that eBay is unable to fulfill it global shipping obligations, I will seek to make arrangements with the buyer to ship it to you directly. However, I will have to work out costs after the fact with you. Some countries have a limit on the value of the item you can ship overseas. In such instances, I will ship the body and neck separately in order to be able to comply with regulations. Please inquire for details.
Description
| Condition: | Used: An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read moreabout the condition | Model: | Custom |
| Model Year: | 1998 | Brand: | Fender |
Up for sale is this extremely rare Vince Cunetto/ John Cruz 1998 Fender Custom Shop Relic 1956 Stratocaster.Video demo here: https://youtu.be/2IjHMSU_N_QThere is a lot of hype surrounding these early custom shop relics. And there is good reason for this! These guitars represent some of the finest craftsmanship and materials ever to be produced by the custom shop. In the mid-1990s, the relic work was farmed out to a man named Vince Cunetto who had been doing customized relic work on guitars for sometime. The simplicity and beauty of Cunetto's relic work sets it apart from later examples.This guitar also has the stamp of masterbuilder John Cruz on the back of the neck. While not technically a "masterbuilt" since this moniker did not arise until later, it is concrete evidence of his part in the process of making this guitar. I've owned several masterbuilt Fenders, and this one surely rivals it both sonically and cosmetically.This particular Stratocaster was a part of an extremely limited run of relics produced by Fender for the foreign market. On the back of the back of the neck you will find written the name "Arbiter." That was the name of Fender's European distributor in the 1990s. All of these guitars were sold in the European market and very few are available now in the USA. As the neck plate indicates, this was part of the "Custom Shop Classic Collection" uniquely released for sale abroad.Unlike other 1956 Stratocasters made for the domestic market, this one lacks the Mary Kay gold hardware. There are not many Cunettos out there like this one with the plain nickel hardware.The guitar bears all the distinctive features of a 1956 Stratocaster. It has a wonderful soft-V neck shape which is substantial but not too bulky. As with many guitars from this period of the custom shop, it has a spectacular flame maple neck which the pictures do not do justice. The pick ups are absolutely fantastic, delivering the purest vintage tone imaginable. The dense ash body delivers clear and distinct tones in every register, and the blonde, semi-transparent finish shows off the beauty of the wood grain. The guitar also comes with a bag full of case candy, including the original three-way switch, the original strap, the original tremolo bar, and the original backplate. update: I have installed the backplate. I don't see the COA in there, but I'm not sure if they were issued with these foreign-distributed guitars. It currently has a five way switch installed, which has been wired so as to allow the first tone control to adjust the bridge and middle pick ups, and the second tone control to adjust the bridge pick up. This can be easily reversed to the standard configuration if desired. Looks like there's a very small repair to the nut by the high E-string, but it's almost undetectable (you wouldn't notice it unless I pointed it out) and has absolutely no effect on the playability of the instrument. There is some minor play wear on the guitar, but it is pretty slight. Very difficult to distinguish from the factory relic on the guitar. Shipping is $59.99 to the domestic USA. International shipping will be through the eBay global shipping program. In the event that eBay is unable to fulfill it global shipping obligations, I will seek to make arrangements with the buyer to ship it to you directly. However, I will have to work out costs after the fact with you. Some countries have a limit on the value of the item you can ship overseas. In such instances, I will ship the body and neck separately in order to be able to comply with regulations. Please inquire for details.