What will contemporary Stratocasters look like in many years? This is the question that Mike Lewis of the Custom Shop asked himself, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the relic. It was 1995 when, at NAMM, Fender unveiled the first relic guitars in its history: the '51 Nocaster and the '56 Mary Kaye Stratocaster. Though the artificial aging of the instruments has often been a source of heated discussions between supporters and disparagers, there are no doubts that it has been an authentic revolution for the six strings world and a big source of income for Fender.
In 2015 the Custom Shop decided to celebrate the event with a totally new series, the Postmodern, which took the place of the Proto Stratocaster (born on the ashes of the Stratocaster Pro). The Postmodern Stratocasters were instruments that resumed the most important features of different years. For the occasion a new artificial level of aging was presented: the Journeyman Relic. Positioned between the Closet Classic and the Relic, was one of the most relic-like finish. "Used but not abused", was the description that fit it best.
The first instruments of the new series were a Stratocaster, a Telecaster and a Precision body/Jazz neck hybrid bass, all available in the Journayman Relic and NOS finishes. The Stratocaster was characterized by a Transition Logo, a 50's style ash body and a neck reminiscent of the Oval “C” of the mid 1960s. However, the neck plate was very modern, "rounded heel" style, for an easier access to the last frets, the compound radius made the fretboard more comfortable and the staggered tuning machines made the use of the string trees superfluous. It was available in the 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White, Dakota Red and Black finishes.
In 2015 the Custom Shop decided to celebrate the event with a totally new series, the Postmodern, which took the place of the Proto Stratocaster (born on the ashes of the Stratocaster Pro). The Postmodern Stratocasters were instruments that resumed the most important features of different years. For the occasion a new artificial level of aging was presented: the Journeyman Relic. Positioned between the Closet Classic and the Relic, was one of the most relic-like finish. "Used but not abused", was the description that fit it best.
The first instruments of the new series were a Stratocaster, a Telecaster and a Precision body/Jazz neck hybrid bass, all available in the Journayman Relic and NOS finishes. The Stratocaster was characterized by a Transition Logo, a 50's style ash body and a neck reminiscent of the Oval “C” of the mid 1960s. However, the neck plate was very modern, "rounded heel" style, for an easier access to the last frets, the compound radius made the fretboard more comfortable and the staggered tuning machines made the use of the string trees superfluous. It was available in the 3-Color Sunburst, Olympic White, Dakota Red and Black finishes.
