The Guitar Player's Resource
You're looking at the guitar that would've been perfect for Michael Jordan's hypothetical rock career - after all, once a Tar Heel, always a Tar Heel, whether you're dominating courts or stages.
Sometimes the most meaningful guitars aren't the most expensive ones - they're the ones that tell your personal story. This Fender Classic Series '50s Stratocaster in Daphne Blue shows exactly what happens when a player takes a solid, affordable instrument and makes it uniquely their own through those UNC decals from the Chapel Hill Student Store.
The Classic Series represents Fender's sweet spot between affordability and authentic vintage character. You're getting that comfort-contoured alder body and soft V tinted maple neck that made Stratocasters legendary in the first place, plus the nitrocellulose lacquer finish that ages and develops character over time. While this isn't an American-made instrument, it captures the essential DNA that made Strats the king of solidbody electrics during the era of diners and cars with fins.
Those three vintage-style single-coil pickups with staggered alnico pole pieces deliver the legendary "spank and sparkle" that defined early rock and roll. The 7.25" radius maple fingerboard with 21 vintage-style frets provides that authentic period feel - slightly more curved than modern necks, which some players find perfect for chord work and vintage bending techniques. That five-position pickup selector gives you the classic Strat voice combinations that have served everyone from country pickers to blues benders to rock pioneers.
The UNC customization shows something important about guitar culture: the best instruments become extensions of their players' personalities. Whether you're representing your alma mater or just showing your Carolina pride, those decals transform this from another Daphne Blue Strat into your Daphne Blue Strat. The guitar becomes a conversation starter and a personal statement that goes beyond mere musical functionality.
This Classic Series proves you don't need to break the bank to get genuine Stratocaster magic - you just need an instrument that inspires you to play.
Comfort-contoured alder body
Classic soft V maple neck
Nitrocellulose lacquer finish
7.25"-radius maple fingerboard with 21 vintage-style frets
3 vintage-style single-coil pickups with staggered alnico pole pieces
Single-ply pickguard, 5-position pickup selector
