Text Box: 2009 Fender Custom Deluxe Stratocaster, Ice Blue Metallic, Matching Headstock I’ve owned a couple of different Strats over the years—an American Series and Eric Johnson. Both were great guitars, but neither really resonated with me like my Custom Shop Tele, so both were eventually ditched. When Fender announced the Custom Deluxe Strat this year, I thought the combination of features was pretty much exactly what I was looking for in a Strat. First of all, my favorite switch position on a Strat has and probably always be the neck position. You can probably thank Jimi Hendrix for that. It’s the combination of huge bass response and crystalline, full sound that I love in that pickup. The Custom Dlx has Fender’s 69 Custom pickups in the neck and the middle, which shoot for that big, clean sound that Jimi’s so famous for. However, I also like a grinding, overdriven sound out of the bridge when I’m playing lead. The no load tone pot, which increases the overall output of both the middle and bridge pickups, is a great addition to give those pickups just a little bit more oomph. That, and the Custom Shop has outfitted the bridge with a Texas Special pickup. Combined with the modern hardware and radius, which I prefer, and the locking tuners, the Custom Deluxe just seemed like the right guitar for me. So I ordered one in June in a custom color-ice blue metallic-and a matching headstock. I just received the guitar and really love just about everything about it-except the crap QC. Fender delivered my “Custom Shop” guitar with an improperly cut nut. The high E slips out of the slot during bends. And I didn’t get my “no load” tone pot. Oh, and one of the latches on my case is busted. Thanks Fender. So the guitar is in the shop now. I haven’t had time, as a result, to really play the guitar much. I will say that the neck is chunkier than I expected, much to my great pleasure. Like my CC Tele, it’s a full C profile and is a joy to play. And the ice blue metallic finish is gorgeous. I can’t wait to get the guitar back in playable condition. Text Box: FENDER STRAT