Freshly set up in-house by our esteemed Guitar Tech, this Custom Shop Johnny A Strat is totally dialed in and ready to make some magic onstage at your next gig. Seriously, this is a crazy cool guitar based on Johnny's favorite early '60s Strats. The Sunset Glow Metallic finish is killer and the Gold hardware sets it off perfectly. See below for more details and specifications. The Fender Custom Shop Traveler Sheet is also included in the Photos. This could be the Custom Shop guitar you've been waiting for. Comes with Blonde Tolex Custom Shop hard shell case.
FROM FENDER:
Many a fine and fiery guitarist has hailed from Boston, and the Custom Shop is Proud to honor one of the City on the Hill’s finest guitarist/songwriters with the Johnny A. Signature Stratocaster. The guitar’s special Time Capsule flash-coat lacquer finish comes in striking Lydian Gold Metallic with Closet Classic chrome hardware and in Sunset Glow Metallic with Closet Classic gold hardware, and it combines several classic ’60s design elements to honor one of New England’s most accomplished sidemen and solo artists.
Born John Antonopoulos in Malden, Mass., he first got the guitar bug when he saw the Beatles in Boston at age 13. He saw Jimi Hendrix a couple years after that and avidly soaked up the era’s finest fretwork, especially that of the Yardbirds holy trinity of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Taking the stage name “Johnny A.”, he steadily acquired a sterling reputation as a rock, blues and jazz ace with artists including Delaney & Bonnie, Derek and the Dominos keyboardist Bobby Whitlock and Creedence Clearwater Revival drummer Doug Clifford. The 1990s saw a seven-year stint as guitarist and musical director for J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf, and to really bring his career full circle, Johnny A. joined the Yardbirds in 2015 for a three-year stint. Today, he continues to wow listeners with his impeccable playing in a variety of studio and onstage projects.
The Johnny A. Signature Stratocaster is an amalgamation of his four favorite model years—1963 through 1966—and features a select two-piece alder body with off-center seam, paired with a 3A birdseye maple neck featuring a ’65-style “oval C” profile and contoured heel. The round-lam rosewood fingerboard has a comfortable 7.25” radius and 21 medium jumbo (6150) frets. The neck and middle pickups are hand-wound 11/56 models, while a steel bottom plate on the custom 11/56 bridge pickups delivers livelier tone with more wide-ranging response; all are fixed to a three-ply mint green pickguard, along with a five-way switch and Strat Blender wiring with Tone-Saver bleed circuitry. Other premium features include Custom Shop synchronized tremolo bridge, vintage-style tuners, bone nut, wing string tree with tall metal spacer, deluxe hardshell case, strap and certificate of authenticity.
SPECS:
Gold Vintage-Style Tuners with Fender Logo
1.625" Bone Nut
'65 Strat C Profile AAA Birdseye Maple Neck with 25.5" Scale Length
Neck Depth .81" at First Fret and .98" at Twelfth Fret
21 Medium Jumbo (6150) Frets
AAA Rosewood Fingerboard with Vintage Clay Dot Markers and 7.25" Radius
Custom Shop Hand-Wound 11/56 Single-Coil Strat Pickups (Neck and Middle) plus Custom Shop Hand-Wound Special Design Johnny A Single-Coil Strat Pickup (Bridge)
Gold Custom Shop Vintage-Style Strat Bridge System
2-Piece Alder Body with Offset Seam
Flash Coat Nitro Lacquer Sunset Glow Metallic Finish
Weight 7 lb 9 oz
Custom Shop Blonde Hard Shell Case
Serial Number JA0160