Fender Custom Shop LTD 70th Anniversary 1954 Stratocaster Candy Apple Red/Journeyman

In the spring of 1954, Fender introduced the Stratocaster, an instrument that would forever transform the music landscape. With its sleek, contoured double-cutaway body, three single-coil pickups, and groundbreaking synchronized tremolo, the Strat quickly cemented its place as a true icon over the next seven decades.

To honor the Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary, the Fender Custom Shop is unveiling a limited-edition collection that celebrates the remarkable heritage and lasting legacy of this legendary guitar.

In a nutshell, this is our "tribute" to an Eric Johnson Stratocaster. How, you ask? Via the neck specs - a Modern V neck carve, a flat 12" radius, and hotter pickups. The results? Phenomenal.

We've grown so accustomed to playing Fenders with fatter neck carves that we really notice one that has a totally different neck profile and feel - in an awesome way, we should add.

This beautiful Candy Apple Strat is such a resonant and easy playing guitar, we may just have to start ordering more with this neck spec. Unless you just have to have a fatter carve due to preference or injury, we have a feeling you might have the same reaction after playing this guitar for a few minutes. It just works with you and goes wherever you want to take it. We definitely get why EJ spec'd a 12" radius on his signature model!

The El Diablo pickups have more punch and output (to our ears) but never loose the sweet top-end and dynamic range that great Strats are known for. Clean or overdriven, these pickups help make this LTD '54 Strat a hell of a fun guitar!