This kind of period correct  and aging / relicing workmanship is Al's forte, so I let the best (Alan) carry out the relic work and then moved her over to Andy Warnock for creating the ultimate play, feel, sound like butter section.. as set-ups are most definitely Andy's forte..Ok.. now we move onto the next stage of making her play, feel, sound like no other out there..  I took the guitar in its now finished form to not only the UK but World renowned guitar maker / luthier.. Andy Warnock in Kent.. Andy's workmanship is beyond belief and he''s mostly busy setting up guitars for the rich and famous.. very fortunately for me.. I've known Andy as a personal friend for over 16 years now and he lives only a few roads away from me..  He is known in the luthier trade as 'fretter and setter upper to the starts'.. and if you've ever played a guitar with Andys magic hands bestowed upon it, then you'll know why so many who could afford anyone.. choose Andy for his workmanship.. he's truly a best kept secret in guitar Kingdom..!
I've seen some of the most famous guitars in the world on Andys bench.. from Richie Sambora, Mark Knopfler and even the 'Greeny Les Paul' on more than one occasion.. the list here could be like the who's who of guitar kingdom, I won't get into the list of names.. I'll leave it here as you get the idea..Andy (a self confessed Yngwie fan) absolutely fell in love with what Al had created (as had I) and after spending a good couple of hours chatting about and marveling at it.. it was time to take Andy's advice on how to make it the Ultimate playing, sounding, feeling Yngwie Strat out there..
So.. firstly, Andy completely rewired an original set of 80's Dimarzio HS-3's properly (they were hard to come by, I have the correct Dimarzio winding / pick-up covers but used a set of aged Kent Armstrong covers to go over the HS-3's that Al had kindly supplied.. they look vintage cool) and then decided we should replace the original 70's vintage style frets with huge 6100 Jim Dunlop fret wire as this would make it feel even more amazing for those big bends and add some sustain in the process when hanging on a note or two or some long vibrato..With the huge frets installed, Andy then decided to throw in a very clever cure for the sometime original Fender bridge drifting out of tune with heavy use.. Well, we fitted a genuine brand new set of unused original Floyd Rose springs from the 80's.. the real deal.. Andy only reserves these for the most worthy of guitars that are something special (which this so is) as they are from his own personal parts collection..  I am blessed that he did this as the tuning stability is amazing..  and you can even get it to warble the strings like a super Start with Floyd Rose trem.. this is the only Strat I've ever owned my whole life or seen evr.. that can warble with a Fender six screw bridge.. ooh how Hendrix would have loved a trem like this at Woodstock for playing that star spangled banner..   Along with the completely proper job Andy did of painstakingly stoning the frets and dressing the ends (all by hand and feel with beyond professional experience) along with a perfectly cut brass nut.. wow!  this guitar plays sooooo.. sooooo... easy (it is set up with 11' gauge D'addarios but can be changed and set up to your desired string gauge).. it feels so silky as is, I urge you to try it with 11's.. with this kind of amazing set up and mega low action.. you might just fancy taking the plunge over 9's & 10's..  it really feels like a vintage used and loved Strat from the 70's... hell, I reckon even Yngwie would fall for this himself.. Maybe one day he might meet this guitar and shred it up and find out..!?!?  I'd love Yngwie to 'Play Loud' on this six stringed axe..  I've seen the original limited Fender ones in person and I am so glad I never bought one.. you get some nice case candy but in complete honesty.. the aging looks so precise and razor sharp on these, that there is now natural looking wear or patina.. the aging genuinely appears to be put on with a transfer type decal.. it looks good at 20-30ft away.. any closer then they look very unconvincing..  This guitar absolutely puts Fenders custom shop to shame.. but I suppose in all fairness, it has has weeks of undivided attention from some of the most talented hands around in the guitar world.. with no time frame to get the thing on the shelf so money can be made..  It's been given full attention and it shows big time..  If you had the official relic and this one side by side.. this one is sooo.. good that you'd think this was the one, the original that all the relics were made from..Ok.. bottom line folks.. if you want a seriously sorted proper.. and I mean proper set up, playing, sounding and looking Yngwie or just stunning relic Strat..  Well, look no further as this is it..!  It really is..  please feel welcome to arrange a viewing of this guitar.. I guarantee the first person to see, hear and play this guitar will want to take her home..!There's a little more of the story to add..  only just a little, so please read on (I appreciate you taking the time to divulge all this)  I sold a guitar of mine back in 2014 to Virgil (of Virgil & The Accelerators).. Virgil arranged for me to meet him back stage at the Hop Farm in Kent during a gig the band had there..  I met Virgil.. he loved the guitar he'd bought (an old 70's Strat) until I opened up the other guitar case I had with me and I said "would you mind signing this one for me".. well Virgil was just lovely.. a real genuine guy and we talked for around an hour about everything guitar.. he's a proper guitar guy.. knows his stuff and I learned a thing or too from our chat.. well, on opening that other case, I had this very beauty listed here inside and Virgil said "hey man.. I love this guitar.. it's amzazing.. where'd you get it..?  is it for sale..?"  I said, no man.. this one's not for sale but glad you lik