The Guitar Player's Resource
You're looking at the kind of guitar that channels Stevie Ray Vaughan's legendary Texas blues fire - the instrument that would've continued serving his soulful, aggressive style had we not lost him too soon.
Some Custom Shop projects chase perfection through complexity. The GT11 Stratocaster takes the opposite approach - it asks a simple question: what if you could get the feel of a perfectly broken-in vintage Strat but with modern reliability and playability? The answer sits in your hands as one of the most thoughtfully conceived Stratocasters ever built.
Mike Lewis didn't just wind another set of vintage-style pickups for this guitar - he created the Sweet '64s specifically for the GT11's unique voice. These under-wound, hand-crafted pickups deliver what many consider the Holy Grail of Strat tones: fat, round lows without muddiness, sparkling highs without icepick harshness, and balanced mids that sit perfectly in any mix. The unparalleled note separation and clarity these pickups provide means every note you play - whether single lines or complex chords - comes through with crystalline definition.
Here's where thoughtful engineering really shows: that RSD Custom Shop floating trem looks vintage but features slightly narrower string spacing for a more contemporary feel. You get classic Strat vibrato expression with improved playability - the kind of detail that makes a real difference during long playing sessions. Those Custom Classic staggered tuners provide modern stability while maintaining authentic aesthetics.
The 11" fingerboard radius deserves special mention. This flatter radius compared to typical vintage specs makes bending easier and reduces fret-out during aggressive playing, while the roasted AAA rosewood fingerboard adds warmth and sustain. That roasted alder body with roasted AAA flamed maple neck provides incredible stability and resonance - the roasting process removes moisture while adding harmonic complexity you can actually hear.
The New Old Stock finish captures that perfectly aged look without decades of actual wear, while the Inca Silver color provides understated elegance that works in any musical context.
Model: GT11 Stratocaster
Relic: New Old Stock
Neck Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Fret Type: Narrow Tall (Sanko 6105)
Number of Strings: 6
Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
Body Type: Solidbody
Body Shape: Stratocaster
Body Material: Roasted Alder
Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Color: Inca Silver
Neck Material: Roasted AAA Flamed Maple
Neck Shape: '60s Style Oval C
Neck Joint: Bolt-on
Radius: 11"
Fingerboard Material: AAA Rosewood
Fingerboard Inlay: Dots
Number of Frets: 22
Scale Length: 25.5"
Nut Width: 1.650"
Nut Material: Bone
Bridge/Tailpiece: Fender Custom Shop RSD Tremolo
Tuners: Fender Staggered Vintage-style
Neck Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Sweet '64 Single-coil
Middle Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Sweet '64 Single-coil
Bridge Pickup: Fender Custom Shop Sweet '64 Single-coil
Controls: 1 x volume (Fat '50s wiring), 1 x half-blender, 1 x tone
Switching: 5-way blade pickup switch
