9 Eye-Popping Guitars from the Fender Custom Shop

The Fender Custom Shop always has a wealth of astonishing instruments set up at the annual NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., and this year was no different.

The various finishes and materials never cease to amaze, and that's just before they are played, as the stellar tones often match up with the stellar looks.

2019 was no different, as the Fender Custom Shop Master Builders pulled out all the stops. Below, get a good look at nine guitars that you won't forget.

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Todd Krause put together this Checkered 1960 Stratocaster NOS that has a tinted 3A flame maple neck and hand-wound '50s Strat pickups.

Jason Smith's Staircase Esquire NOS is a beauty, with an NOS lacquer finish on its two-piece sandblaster ash body. Not only did Smith dream up the guitar, he also hand-painted the body itself.

If you want a little bit of old-school mixed with the new-school, John Cruz's 1959 Now and Then Strat is the guitar for you. Featuring custom aging, half of the body is aged Olympic White and the other half is not.

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Dennis Galuzka's Crosscut Pine Strat NOS has woodgrain for days. The two-piece alder body boasts a roasted 4A flame maple neck and hand-wound Texas Special pickups.

Greg Fessler's 1968 Nebula Stratocaster NOS features artwork by Madison Roy. The NOS urethane finish highlights Roy's incredible art on its two-piece select alder body.

Dale Wilson's 1969 Stratocaster Heavy Relic cannot be missed, with a finish of Candy Apple Red over Gold Sparkle. Not only does it have a lacquer finish, but it also has a tinted quartersawn maple neck with a matching headscap.

(L to R)

From the 2019 Custom Collection comes the Postmodern Stratocaster Journeyman Rosewood Relic. The two-piece alder body is stunning in the relic flash-coat touch.

This 1968 Paisley Stratocaster Relic has wear in all the right places on its two-piece select alder body. The tinted rift-sawn maple neck also has a '63 "C"-shape neck to add to its played-in feel.

Ron Thorn's Woodblock Print Tele NOS has a secret on its swamp ash body, as the hand-carved top from Alex Carmona produced a one-of-a-kind piece of art that comes along with it. And that's not to mention the vintage-sounding TV Jones pickups!

Visit the Fender Custom Shop here to see even more remarkable guitars and basses.