Tones? Chimey, clear, medium output...exactly what we want from a great Strat, honestly. Classic tones that are really inspiring, no surprises here - simply fantastic sounding.

The Stratocaster of 1960 was basically the same guitar as the Stratocaster of 1959, most readily distinguished from previous 1950s models by a rosewood “slab” fingerboard, multi-ply celluloid pickguard with more screw holes (11) and a notable greenish tint, and a thicker neck profile than the thinned 1958-1959 version.

Starting with a 2-piece Alder body (sorted for light weight), flat laminate rosewood board and quarter-sawn maple neck, this '60 Custom Shop Strat brings things into the modern era via a 9.5" fingerboard radius, 6100 jumbo frets, Vintage Modern Wiring #2, and hand-wound Texas Special pickups. The neck carve is slightly chunky with a slight taper - very comfortable and something we immediately fell in love with. The fret work is outstanding as well, it should be noted.

All of these specs combine to provide an easy to play, inviting - and just plain fun - Strat. The fingerboard is 9.5" - a touch flatter than the vintage 7.25" radius - which helps eliminate "fretting out" when bending notes past the 12th fret. Most players like having a tone control wired to their bridge pickup as this is where things can get a touch too bright sonically, so it's nice to have it wired this way from the factory (vs modding).