Fender Masterbuilt Andy Hicks 1960 Stratocaster Ruby Star Red Metallic Heavy Relic (USED, 2025)

This one has us feeling nostalgic for our '90s guitar heroes.

We haven't met Fender Master Builder Andy Hicks yet, but we feel a connection on two fronts: a love of guitars (duh) and the kinds of bands we grew up on. Andy started in the Jackson Custom Shop, spent eight years at Gretsch under Master Builder Steve Stern, three at Tyler Guitars, then came back to Fender. One of his recent builds was a signature for Iron Maiden's Dave Murray - which might surprise some TME regulars, but a lot of us learned to play on Maiden tunes when we were kids in the '80s, Eddie door poster looming on the bedroom door.

We're telling you this because it sets the stage for why we took this 1960 Masterbuilt Strat in on trade without a second thought (plus hardtail Strats are awesome). The moment we saw it, we were back in our high school bedrooms with Siamese Dream on repeat - doesn't it look like something Billy Corgan was playing back then? Maybe that's not your reference, all good. There's no shortage of Strat players who rocked an eye-catching finish (Dick Dale, anyone?). Either way, this is a fantastic guitar with the memories and associations stripped away. Being a Hicks build, the attention to detail is exactly where it should be - fit, finish, and fretwork are all top-notch. The neck profile is an American Standard Modern "C" (.82–.87" for the spec nerds), which feels sleek and quick in the hand, the kind of profile that gets out of your way when you're working through the Cherub Rock solo. The hand-wound '60/'63 pickups have been favorites of ours in other Strats - that throaty mid-'60s voice, balanced output across the set, with a hum-cancelling middle so the 2nd and 4th positions stay quiet.

We could keep going, but the short version is we're fans of this one. The look, the vibe, the tone, the playability - not sure what else you'd ask a Masterbuilt Strat to be.