I've been playing guitar since I was about 10, and I can fondly recall pecking out some of my favorite songs from the “Grease” soundtrack (Go ahead, guess my age!). Ever since then, the guitar has been a mainstay in my life, and I’ve had the luxury of playing music up and down the West Coast, and I even auditioned for the Ozzy Osbourne band and the Red Hot Chili Peppers back at certain points in my “career”. This was all “B.C.” – “before computers”, but to this day I still find time to play in a band, and enjoy live music whenever I can.

There is no way in the world to learn to play guitar, with out knowing what a Fender Stratocaster is. Just about any music store worldwide will have an assortment of strats, either made by Fender or some other “knock off” brand. For those not familiar with Fender, Fender is like the Microsoft of the Guitar industry. The FMIC [1] designed the strat back in the early 1950s, in such a way, that is way very easy to maintain and customize, which in turned has fueled the many companies that make up the current guitar industry.

I’ve been a dedicated Strat player for about the last 15+ years, for one reason only: playability. The first time I picked up a real Stratocaster, it was like putting on that old favorite pair of worn in tennis shoes, the ones that you refuse to throw away because they are so comfortable. Ever since, there have been no other guitars for me, except maybe a telecaster.

The “holy grail” of Stratocasters would obviously be the original 1954 model. This is the basic model, along with the 1950’s era of strats, that has been made famous by the likes of Buddy Holly, Dick Dale, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and the list goes on. So with 2004 being the 50th anniversary of the 1954 Stratocaster, the skilled professionals at Fender’s Custom Shop are producing a very limited release of a 1954 Stratocaster.

Given how rare a real playable 1954 Stratocaster is, and the price tag attached to it (usually in the range of $20,000+), I had to have one. So I went down to the local music store, Bellevue American music, and placed my order. That was back in January, and I received this wonderful instrument today.

I’m completely and utterly impressed with the craftsmanship that Master builder, John Cruz, put into this instrument. I was able to remove it directly from the box, and amazingly it was still in tune after being delivered. The particular release comes as a “closet classic”, meaning it is a bit distressed, as if it had been played periodically and put away in the closet for safe keeping.

Mr. Cruz, if you are reading this – keep up the incredible work, as this guitar was well worth the time it took to build! This guitar plays even better than I expected, and noticeably better (in my opinion anyways) than most of my other Fender Custom Shop guitars. It’s very clear that you are dedicated to your craft and have deservingly earned the title of “Master Builder”. From this point on, I will be a dedicated Fender Custom Shop customer.