Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Relic
Candy Apple Red — Masterbuilt by Greg Fessler
This Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster is one of the defining instruments in Gerbman's collection. Built by Masterbuilder Greg Fessler, it represents the highest level of Fender craftsmanship and plays a central role in his tone.
Manufacturer and Model Background
The Fender Stratocaster was introduced in 1954 and evolved significantly throughout the 1960s. By 1969 the model had developed a slightly brighter, more aggressive character, making it especially suitable for blues-rock and higher-volume playing. This instrument was built in the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, California and completed in 2020. The original documentation confirms it as a 1969 Strat Relic in Candy Apple Red with a rosewood fingerboard, Masterbuilt by Greg Fessler.
Greg Fessler joined the Fender Custom Shop in 1990 and worked his way up through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the most respected Masterbuilders in the Custom Shop's history. He has built instruments for players including Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Jeff Healey, Hank Marvin and Neil Schon. His work is known for combining vintage accuracy with a strong focus on playability and feel. Rather than building guitars that only look vintage, his instruments are designed to respond like instruments that have already been played for decades.
Why This Guitar Matters in Blues
The late 1960s Stratocaster sits at the core of modern electric blues. This is the era where the Strat became more aggressive and more present in a band mix — the sound of pushing a tube amplifier just into breakup, where dynamics and touch control everything. Players like Jimi Hendrix expanded what the Stratocaster could do, while Stevie Ray Vaughan turned it into the blueprint for Texas blues. This guitar operates exactly in that space.
What Respected Blues Guitarists Did With It
Stevie Ray Vaughan built his sound around a Stratocaster into Fender amps, creating a tone that is both powerful and deeply expressive. John Mayer continued that tradition with a more refined, dynamic approach, focusing on feel and articulation. The 1969-style Stratocaster adds a bit more bite and top-end presence, which helps solos cut through without losing warmth.
Sound Profile
This guitar delivers a classic Stratocaster voice with a late 1960s edge.
What Makes It Special
What sets this guitar apart starts with the Masterbuilt construction. Greg Fessler's approach focuses on feel as much as sound. The guitar is built to respond immediately, without the stiffness often found in new instruments. The heavy relic finish contributes to this — it removes the "new guitar" barrier and makes the instrument feel broken in from the first moment.
The combination of alder body, rosewood fingerboard and late 1960s specifications creates a balance between clarity and warmth that fits perfectly in a blues context. This is not just a visually aged instrument. It is designed to behave like a great vintage guitar.
Greg Fessler
Masterbuilder
This guitar aligns perfectly with Gerbman's playing style. His sound is built on dynamics, phrasing and interaction with the amplifier. The Stratocaster platform gives him the flexibility to move from clean to driven tones using only his hands and touch.
This specific instrument adds clarity and definition, allowing him to stay present in a band mix while maintaining a warm, vocal tone. It responds immediately to how hard he picks, how he digs into a bend and how far back he rolls the volume. That connection is everything.
This is not just part of the collection. This is part of the foundation of his sound.
Rarity and Availability
Masterbuilt Fender guitars are produced in extremely limited numbers. Each instrument is built individually, which makes availability low and demand high. On the secondary market these guitars are significantly more expensive than standard Custom Shop models. Rarity classification: rare to highly collectible.
Variants and Alternatives
- Other Greg Fessler Masterbuilt Stratocasters — each one unique, built individually to spec
- Fender Custom Shop 1969 Stratocaster Relic (non-Masterbuilt) — more accessible, still exceptional
- Suhr Classic S / Nash S-style guitars — boutique alternatives in the same tonal territory
- Original late 1960s Fender Stratocasters — the vintage reference these instruments are built to honor
- Fender Player Stratocaster — the accessible entry point in the same design lineage
