UK guitar gear retailer Andertons has celebrated its 60th anniversary with a unique collaboration with Fender, bestowing special-occasion Strats and Teles with a finish the luthier has never done before.
Notably, the unmissable Fiesta Red electric guitars represent the first time Fender has applied a non-relic'd road-worn finish to any of its guitars, resulting in a fresh take on factory-aged builds.
They come out of Fender's Ensenada factory with a nitro finish that “replicates the natural wear of a vintage Fender that’s been carefully stored away for the last 60 years”, and therefore gives an aged charm without the need for traditional relic’ing methods.
“The goal was to create something that celebrated the music scene of 1964 as well as the Andertons 60th anniversary milestone,” explains Andertons co-owner, Lee Anderton.
“I wanted to do a Custom Shop closet classic thing, so I wanted a nitro finish Road Worn guitar with signs that it wasn't brand new, but I didn't want damage. Fender have never done that before. I'm grateful to them for agreeing to do this.”
It's a far cry from Fender's regular Road Worn guitars, which in the past have come factory ready with artificial aging that is identical across the entire lineup. With this new approach, the guitar's are given greater scope for individual and unique natural relic'ing.
Anderton adds that planning for the celebratory release has been ongoing since 2021. The collaboration aimed to “create something that had never done before by Fender, had a connection to 1964, and would be a mid-priced guitar so that hopefully as many people could participate as possible”.
The nitro Road Worn treatment results in a “closet style” finish, and it's the first time it has been offered on a special run Fender release.
Each model is decorated with American-made vintage parts. These include Pure Vintage ‘64 Tele Pickups, made with Alnico 5 magnets on period-correct fiber bobbins wrapped using Enamel-coated magnet wire, delivering a period-accurate “resonant and chimey” tone.
On the Strat, that approach has been mirrored with a trio of Custom Shop Fat ‘60s single-coil pickups. Made using period-correct fiber bobbins, cloth wire, Alnico II magnets, and Formvar magnet wire, they promise to deliver an authentic vintage Strat sounds.
They've also been “overwound for extra bite and more power in the low-end”.
As was the successful tonewood recipe 60 years ago, they pair alder bodies with C-profile maple necks and slab rosewood fingerboards. Those ‘boards serve up 21 medium jumbo frets apiece and a 9.5" radius.
Tele hardware choices include a three-saddle vintage-style bridge with slotted steel saddles, vintage tuners, and a four-bolt vintage-style neck plate. The Strats also rock vintage tuners, while a six-saddle synchronized tremolo with bent steel saddles and a whammy bar anchors the strings in place.
“The special closet vibe, road-worn nitrocellulose lacquer finish in Fiesta Red looks like the real thing,” says Andertons. “It’s expertly done light finish checking and tarnishing to the hardware oozes irresistible vintage charm and the vintage-voiced, American-made pickups with era-specific neck profiles make it easy to lose yourself in the authentic vibe and mojo.”
Only 100 of each model will be made. The first batch – 75 of each – is available to order now, although the Stratocaster has already sold out. A second batch – 25 of each – will land in December.
They each come with a hardshell guitar case and a certificate of authenticity.
Head to Andertons to learn more about the special edition guitars.
