Here for sale we have a Fender FSR "Beatles Gear" American Vintage '62 Stratocaster Electric Guitar in "Thin Skin" Sonic Blue Nitrocellulose finish. Limited to 250, these guitars were commissioned by Arbiter/Fender Europe to replicate the exact model that John Lennon and George Harrison bought in 1965 whilst recording the album 'Rubber Soul'. George had decided that he didn't like the sound of his Gretsch guitar through his Vox amp, so he and John sent out their Roadie, Mal, to buy two Fender Stratocasters. Mal bought two of the exact same guitar in the same finish. Later down the line, George painted his Strat in psychedelic colours and wrote the word 'Bebopalula' on it, thus creating George Harrison's iconic 'Rocky' Stratocaster.
Made in the USA in 2001, this guitar consists of an Alder body, a Maple neck, and a 21-fret Rosewood fingerboard. Other appointments include an American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo bridge with "Ash Tray" bridge cover, Fender Vintage Style tuners, Chrome hardware, and a Synthetic Bone nut. The pickups installed in this guitar are a trio of Fender Original '57/'62 Single Coil Strat Pickups. These pickups are wired to a master volume, neck tone, middle tone, and a three-way pickup selector.
The Maple neck plays superbly, with the 'C' profile accurately representing the feel of those original '60s instruments. Much slimmer than the '50s neck profile whilst retaining enough substance to inspire confidence in your grip when chord playing, the neck is highly playable in all registers and is suitable for any playing style or technique that you can throw at it. The Rosewood used for the fingerboard is rich and dark in appearance, and feels supremely luxurious under the fingers. Its 7.25" radius and vintage-style frets ensure a period correct playing experience, which today feels quite unique and inspiring in the hands. The familiar lines of the Stratocaster body are as comfortable in the arms as ever, just as practical in either seated or standing positions.
The trio of Original '57/'62 Single Coil Strat pickups installed in this guitar deliver authentic vintage-inspired tones thanks to their period accurate specification. Pole pieces are hand bevelled and staggered for a balanced output, whilst Alnico V magnets are employed to produce a bright, glassy tone. Even the vintage-correct cloth wiring is used for a truly authentic tone. The neck is warm and round, with all of the power needed to push your solos to the front of the mix. The middle is punchy and clear for those funky tones, whilst the bridge produces a searing output for bright and focussed rock rhythm tones. This particular model is fitted with a three-way pickup selector as opposed to the five-way selector that you will find on all modern Stratocasters. This is era-correct, and the in-between positions were only discovered by accident when someone was changing from one pickup to another. This is a fantastically authentic vintage-inspired piece that has aged very gracefully.
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.