Fender Custom Shop Troposphere Hardtail Stratocaster Heavy Relic 2021

The Troposphere is one of those slightly more interesting Fender Custom Shop creations – recognisably a great vintage-inspired Strat, but with a handful of carefully chosen details that give it a character very much of its own.

Most obviously, this is a hardtail Strat. The vintage-style string-through-body bridge gives the guitar a wonderfully direct, immediate response, along with rock-solid tuning stability, and makes it a compelling alternative for players who love everything about a great Strat but rarely reach for the trem arm.

Then there are the pickups. Developed by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Paul Waller, the hand-wound Troposphere single coils are deliberately slightly underwound, producing a beautifully sweet, open and articulate Strat sound with plenty of headroom. They’re particularly good at the more delicate end of the Strat spectrum – lots of clarity, sparkle and dynamics without becoming thin or brittle.

The neck is another highlight. Rift-sawn maple with a substantial ’57 Style Soft V profile, measuring .940″ at the first fret and .970″ at the 12th, with a 7.25″–9.5″ compound radius and 21 Medium Vintage frets. It’s a satisfyingly full handful without feeling cumbersome, complemented by Fender’s Heavy Relic treatment to the back of the neck for that familiar played-in Custom Shop feel.

The two-piece alder body gets ‘57-style deep contours and a superb Super Faded/Aged Black Heavy Relic nitro finish, paired with an aged eggshell pickguard and suitably distressed hardware. It’s a very convincing looking guitar, but the unusual specification means there’s rather more going on here than simply another heavily aged Strat.

A great example of the Custom Shop taking the familiar Stratocaster recipe and tweaking it in ways that actually matter.

This 2021 example is in superb condition, with no meaningful additional wear beyond Fender’s original Heavy Relic treatment. Complete with its original Fender Custom Shop tweed hardshell case, Certificate of Authenticity and Shop Floor Traveller.

• Brand: Fender Custom Shop
• Model: Limited Edition Troposphere Hardtail Stratocaster Heavy Relic
• Origin: USA
• Year: 2015
• Serial No: CZ555860
• Weight: 7lb 2oz / 3.21kg
• Finish: Super Faded/Aged Black, Heavy Relic nitrocellulose lacquer
• Pickguard: 54-56 Spec Eggshell
• Body: 2 piece Alder
• Neck: Rift-sawn Maple
• Profile: ’57 Style Soft V
• Neck Thickness: .940″ 1st fret / .970″ 12th fret
• Fretboard: Maple, 7.25″–9.5″ Compound Radius
• Scale length: 25.5″
• Frets: 21 Medium Vintage
• Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Troposphere single coil
• Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound RWRP Troposphere single coil
• Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound Troposphere single coil
• Controls: 1 volume, 2 tones, 5-way selector switch, Treble Bleed Wiring
• Bridge: Relic vintage Patent Pending Hardtail
• Tuners: Vintage Fender-logo
• Case: Original Tweed Hardcase
• Paperwork: Certificate of Authenticity & original Shop Floor Traveller