Why I Sold My Masterbuilt For A Fender Custom Shop Relic Strat. 

My “new gear day” is called “what else I’m now hiding from the wife day.”

I bought an American Pro 2 Strat recently and it’s great to be honest . The bridge is on the bottom tone knob already , as well as other configs that that they have incorporated on the pickup selector too . I couldn’t afford one of the ones you have 😂.. I’m very happy with mine though . Cheers 👍🏻

There's something about Strats that gets on so well with modulation effects.... Especially Rotary, Univibe and Dimension C. Congrats on the wonderful new guitar and keep on making great videos. Cheers from the Colonies. 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇲

The Journeyman relic is my favorite! I could do without the 9.5” radius boards, but they’re otherwise perfect. I have a ‘57 and two ‘59 team built Strats. Absolutely fantastic guitars.

I'm more of a 60s rosewood guy, too, like you said. But I can understand why you love this guitar. The neck does look beautiful!

Paul, what a wonderful soft tone at the beginning! Last year I bought a 1961 relic custom shop Rory Gallagher Strat that sounds in a similar way like your‘s. 😊

this guy is such a pro

Loved the sound of the low E string on the intro piece, which overall sounded magnificent.

Amazing strat! Sounds incredible! Great demo!👌👌👌

Got a 56 CS strat used for just over 4K Canadian. It’s from 2019, reliced but not too much. The sound is amazing and the neck is perfect for me. So light. Best Strat I’ve ever played or owned. It’s a keeper. Heard the difference between the wiring. I’ll probably get that done. Thanks for the tip 👍

I have had 3 masterbuilts and I honestly didn't think they sounded any better. But I did notice the neck fit and fret work was superb on them. To be honest the best strat I have had ever is the 56 wildwood spec custom shop I have now. It is a relic with maple neck and it just rips

Edited this out once I realized you didn't sell the pink paisley one. Keep it up, Paul! Your tones and style are eminently listenable, which is (or should be) the goal!

Absolutely beautiful tone! Right down the other end of the cost spectrum I've got an early 90s MIJ 57 reissue that looks exactly like your relic, even has a few dings in the same spots! It's not on the same level as a Custom Shop but boy it has some serious mojo, I'll never let it go.

Love the tone Paul.

That's a gorgeous and classic-sounding Strat, Paul - congrats on bagging such a beauty. One small request - it'd be great if you could annotate your videos with, or note in the video description a little more detail describing which amps / amp models you're using to get these great sounds we hear. Thanks for the great content!

I think it was 1959 when rosewood was introduced. I have a 1959 CS Strat, which has a Rosewood fretboard

Calling rosewood warm sounding is a misnomer. I put a rosewood neck on a light weights swamp ash strat. It has nice lows, slightly scooped mids, and nice singing shimmering highs. I’m a huge fan of rosewood neck. Not just the fingerboard but the whole neck. Not a fan of maple except as a figured top on a guitar body.

My wife always finds out. Stellar sounds!

main difference soundwise between 50s. and 60s strats is that the pickups used different magnets, which makes the 60s pickups hotted and punchier (50s are smoother)

just a note, you play a big E power chord the same as me, and i've never seen anyone else do it. at the 4min mark. guitar sounds and looks great.

Good to know someone else is as indecisive with guitars as I am. I constantly end up selling guitars to buy new ones. Most of the time I feel like I upgraded, but occasionally I wish I had kept the old one. The only guitar I have ever owned that I know I will keep forever no matter what is my custom PRS Modern Eagle V. But every other guitar I own, even the custom shop ones, are possible I could sell them someday to justify buying something else. 😂

A lovely sounding Fender Strat

Coz' you're Crazy!!!😂😂😂😂 The TCS sounds soooo gooood man, and the neck, the fretboard...incredible!!! OMG, that sound!!! I own an American Stratocaster and It sounds Amazing but nothing comparable with yours...😭 Also the Telly Is sooo gooood!!! I love your videos, your playing and your guitars could make me cry.

I had to watch just to make sure you didn't sell that pink Paisley. Phew!!! Congrats on your new guitar.

Yes, my 60s closet classic came with a 3 way switch. I had my tech replace it with a EBMM 5 way and of course kept the 3 way just in case

Sad to see the other one sold off as it was pretty cool, however the new axe is pretty nice too!

I love it. It sounds excellent. Why? Because before the plethora of models Fender have now, they made the ‘57 AVRI Strat in 1982. I bought one used in 2008. I have other Strats, a new ‘61 Vintage 2, a Strat Pro 2, & a Roadworn 60’s. Nothing sounds, plays & feels like my first year 41 year old Fullerton made ‘57. I wouldn’t part with it for a gold pig 😁 I have mine wired with the first tone control as a master tone in all positions, & I had to replace the toggle switch, otherwise, it’s stock. Nice one Mate👍

Wonderful tone and that neck is stunning. New subscriber!

My first tone control impacts all PUPS and the second is a neck PUP blend. I particulaly love the ability to blend in some neck with the bridge PUP. My guitar is a modded V62 Re-issue I purchased in 1989.

For me it is all about the neck, if I don't love the neck I won't kept it. I have one of the sunburst Ancho Poblano Stratocasters, with a 1951 U neck profile and love it, more is sometimes better.

Love the neck on that strat, just bought my first strat: CS '63 the 5 position switch gives me so many options I'd not found on a tele or a Les Paul

I bought a Custom shop Aliexpress Strat really amazing : $375

Marvellous!

nice. sounds killer-loved that jason smith sparkly red one too, tho! i just bought a 57 cs heavy relic gold over sunburst-stunnning and sounds amazing with the soft V neck.

Sounds great! I'm lusting after it even more now! 🤣

The CS 56 looks and sounds great to me! Reminds me to my Eric Johnson signature, which of course also has a maple neck and plays and sounds amazing. Would be interesting to have a 1:1 compare.

You should demo these guitars without overdrive!

I Have a Squier CV50 and from a Couple of Miles it Looks Like this Custom Shop 😅😅😅 Anyway i think this is the Best "Look" for a Strat ... it give a Certain mood about how to play it and a sort of special Vibe.

Beautiful guitar. Congrats!

@5:33…as I get older, I prefer single coils for pretty much everything. A traditional strat or tele with single coils through a high gain amp is tonal bliss in my eyes.

Both stunning guitars. You both seem down to earth. Would be more interested in your home studios. What you actually produce and mix. How you record. Andrew masters uk version.

I have the same 56 strat relic and also happen to have a 60’s strat relic with rosewood board. I think the 56 bridge pickup sounds a bit thin but the neck pickup is awesome. Your 56 looks to be an alder body. I think much better than ash.

What is the name of the song you played in the very beginning? It's so very beautiful and soulful! Thank you so very much for your videos, I am getting interested in guitars again, and your videos are very resourceful and provide so very much to take in and contemplate. Wishing you all the very best and thank you for everything!!

Sounds ace. No tone on the bridge only makes sense into a cranked Champ or low-powered tweed amp. It’s an idea that should be left in the ‘50s.

Love the fretboard on the new one, and it sounds great too. I would definitely wire the bridge into the tone pot too - especially with a single coil, that bridge can get out of control sometimes :) I don't understand why anyone would criticize demoing higher gain with single coils...lots of people play higher gain with single coils ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ As far as wood affecting tone, I think we've seen enough to demonstrate that it is negligible at best. Type of pickup, placement of pickup, pickup height, all have a very direct effect. Haven't seen much that directly addresses what kind of effect a semi-hollow or hollow body might have, and whether the woods used in their construction make a difference.

I love the 50s strat. If you weren’t feeling the ‘65 masterbuilt, best to move on.

great guitar , great sound!

I wish I liked Strats…. It sounds so good. (I’m a tele guy).

Cheers 🍻 Mate 😊

Looks like we got the same model. Mine is 1956 limited edition strat that has handwound 56 pickups.

Rosewood is 1780 on the Janka hardness scale while maple is 1450, so the extra zing should be coming from the rosewood being much harder and brighter of the two.

Your playing is always so tasty!

I've watched many of Paul's videos recently. Great playing, feel and tone. This particular video here is my favorite. Wondering if its the Axe FX we're hearing or his Matchless?

I just love the sound of these CS ‘56 pickups! But sadly you can’t buy them aftermarket. Does anybody know which pickups sound similar to these CS ‘56?

Nooo Paul. I loved that red strat. It literally is my favorite of all strats on utube. Ok the new strat is what I would get if I wanted a 50’s strat. The body is actually smaller. And I prefer rosewood as well but because the maple fretboard is relic’d I do like it. But I wish you could’ve kept the red one too. I actually had a 54 reissue yrs ago and the neck was not relic’d. It was just too lacquered up and at the time I was looking for humbuckers. Was just starting my gear addiction. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy it.

It Stops sounding like the 50's when you add distortion.

lovely guitar!

So now I've got to google around and find out what the hell an Axe fx 3 is !! It sounds like it might be an expensive trip !

Difficult to say if it sounds better than the previous ones.. They are all great sounding Strats.. As far as I know those older 50's-60's Strats had only 3 positions. ​ The 5 positions switches were introduced in the 70's.. ​ ​

You sold your best guitat!

Crystal clear, too bright. The 63 sounded great thanks for the Info. But lacks in lows

Talking about sounding articulate makes me think of my Schecter PT Van Nuys. It's got humbuckers, but they've got really good clarity and articulation, at least I think. You should try one sometime if you get the chance :)

Amazing tones, Paul! What was the amp or signal chain if you can still remember?

Biggest reason 50s and 60s strat sound so different is the pickups are quite different in configuration too.

Congratulations, beautiful guitar enjoy it! Great playing too. Any chance the Fractal Presets used here are available and compatible with FM3? The preset starting at around 2:50 was fantastic. thanks

Is that Best Part from HER? If so, love that interpretation of it!

I felt like I was a dark fretboard only type of guy until I got my 1957 Musicmaster. I was clearly wrong about my expectations!

Mmh, when you play the Tele and then the Strat there's no question for me that the T sounds so much better to my ears -- way more musical for me.

They put more screws on the pickguard in the 60s because the 50s pickguards would end up warping over time.

Sounds amazing! Does anybody know what specific pickups are in this Strat? Also, was that the Axe-FX? If so, what models were used? Great playing as always!!

I hope you invested some of the fund in new shoes and handbag to avoid another black eye 😁😎

Will you review ToneX?

That sounds lovely i want one ! what was the signal chain ? Matchless Ox Box Daw ?

FYI Fender switched to rosewood fretboards around April of 1959.

Thumbs up 👍🏻

That looks like an ash body? I would think that probably contributes quite a bit to the tone differences vs the alder 60s body?

Yes I love my custom shop Strat also. Your reverb tone is amazing at 2:14. What are you using?

OMG this tone IS killer ! Whats AMP s are u using? What effects for crunch 🙏🙏🙏

Hi, thanks for yours reviews, Which amp do you use?

Happy NGD ! Yes: I modded the wiring on mine too, so I could get the harshness away from the bridge pickup. Also, I removed the tone connection to the middle pickup and lowered it on the scratchplate, so it couples very well in pos 2 and 4. You still have your green HSS ? Cheers Paul

Great guitars and playing! What amp/rig were you playing them through?

The intro sounds are amazing. Unfortunately this does not work in a big band context. I play in a 9 piece band with keys, horns etc - guitarsounds has to be very small. I guess there is a reason why this is Studiorats. What sounds do you use live? I really can't imagine you use that much reverb and delay/ modulation.

I love that guitar. Maple neck is such a looker. Still think you’re a closet metal head. Who plays runs like that and doesn’t love Yngwie?

Very nice! Did you sell your silver sky?

Sounds like the tone i carry around in my head for a strat. Gorgeous, what is your setup amp and pedal wise for this video. Cherrs, Perry.

is that an ash body? and what pickups are in it?? thanks

Great strat! Did you sold your PRS's?

IM confused about your comments about the wiring! Your saying there was no tone control for your bridge pickup yet I thought all Strats have had a tone select for the bridge at least since the 1990's or so. That lack of tone control for the bridge is also something John Mayer talked about when he first talked about the Silver Sky and I was thinking,.."but my 1990 has tone control for the bridge ,.LoL! I think that feature is like the 3 way selector switch,..its something Fender left behind decades and decades ago yet still seems to br repeatedly talked about my people whom,.despite having the $$$ for a master built or custom sho,..cant or wont walk down to their nearest Guitar Center of whatever music store and play an American Pro2 with MODERN Star wiring,..LoL

Why don’t you try a Bravewood strat? £1850 for a master built guitar!

Look, you’re clearly a guitar gigolo-best to just embrace it.

You're supposed to buy a spare guitar

Because you have GAS

Masterbuild & custom shop guitar are genuinly overrated, i've already said it but I played a few normal, high end guitars like the hitmaker and a professional series strat and the playability of those guitars was so much better than the awfull old paint chiped away guitars that seem to make money enough to let the custom shop name fall into sub standard quality. Ask yourself this, do you really think a handfull of guys are making custom shop relic for all of the world?! LOL!

Master built just means a more famous custom shop person helped make it lol. All the custom shop people are very talented and do a great job. All the folks who make high end fenders like the pro line, original line, reissue line, do great work as well. Want to save cash? Going with the boys at mjt, warmoth, or muskraft is also not a bad idea. Even some squires are good guitars now. Like the 70s vibe model. Many squires do come with meh wiring and meh pickups though so you might want to change those out. Who needs a 7k guitar when you can have a 600-800 dollar one that's just as good. Sure it doesn't have the price tag of being a guitar made by a famous luthier... But that's the only real clear difference. They often select the best looking tone woods for higher end models but even lower end models can get lucky and have nice woods in them so it's whatever : ) And tone wood matters very little when playing loudly so folks shouldn't care too much about that.

Does your new custom shop strat have a soft v-neck? I recently picked up a '50s American original in white blonde with a soft V neck. It's got a nice chunk to it in the first v-neck I have ever played. I'm still getting used to it, but it's really nice to play. How do you like the profile on your CS? Cheers!

Very Eric Johnson sounding : ) If you ask me mann... Once you go american standard quality minimum... IT doesn't get much better than that. Very opinion based territory after that.

Lol you had a john mayer silver sky? Unsub...