Fender Custom Shop '64 Stratocaster Relic Black 2019

The Fender Custom Shop has brought countless dreams to life with their custom ordered guitars, and the previous owner's dream must have been to become John Mayer, because this Stratocaster is almost an exact replica of his iconic BLK1.

The original BLK1 was built by Master Builder John Cruz in 2004. Fender later released an official BLK1 replica in 2010, a highly limited run of just 83 guitars, and this guitar shares many of its defining features: an alder body, a maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, gold hardware with pearl tuner buttons, and a mint green pickguard on a heavy relic black body.

The original pickups have been swapped for a set of Klein Jazzy Cat single coils, direct replicas of the pickups found in that limited 2010 run, bringing you even closer to those classic John Mayer tones. They have a wonderfully mid scooped voice with plenty of bottom end and none of the harsh top end you can sometimes get from a Stratocaster.

The neck is a 1963 C shape that starts out relatively slim and fills out noticeably as you move up the neck, making for a really comfortable fit in the hand.

As always with a Heavy Relic, it is hard to say exactly where Fender's aging ends and the real playwear begins. What we can say is that this guitar has been well looked after and remains in excellent condition. It comes with its Certificate of Authenticity, a hardshell case and a TFOA Passport.

This instrument has been carefully inspected for condition and playability, then set up to our Gold Standard by a luthier. We make sure it arrives in your hands exactly as it should: sounding its best, playing effortlessly and ready to be enjoyed from the very first note.