Used 2023 Fender Custom 2022 Collection Time Machine 1961 Stratocaster - Heavy Relic

Sonic Evaluation

I was so excited about this Time Machine '61 Strat after I played it that I started loudly (and poorly) singing the Huey Lewis and the News' 1985 classic Back in Time, much to the disdain of my colleagues. I couldn't help it--this guitar screams! It has a sizzling high-end, fat lows, and midrange that snarls or cries depending on how hard you flog it. The bridge pickup is like a ten-foot-tall Ginsu the way it cuts through, and it has a lovely jangly high-end. The middle pickup is uncommonly fat but very well-balanced, and the neck pickup is deep and warm. It also blends a powerful fundamental with crisp overtones in such a way that it sounds robust without being tubby or muddy. If you're looking for a Strat that will make you burst spontaneously into song, this Time Machine strat will take you (sing it with me now!) back in tiiiiiiime!

Condition Report

This Custom Shop Strat is in minty-fresh condition! It shows minimal playwear and fretwear and it has no cosmetic flaws to note. Most importantly, it sounds killer--there's something really, well, special about the way hand-wound Texas Specials scream! To top it off, it comes with its original hardshell case, a certificate of authenticity, hangtags, a bridge cover, and a trem bar.

A Quick Note About Time Travel

Wildwoodians, you may have noticed that the name of this guitar is a bit odd--a 2023 guitar from the 2022 Collection--and suspect that some time-travelling hooliganery has taken place (it IS a Time Machine Strat, after all!). As cool as that would be, the explanation is much more simple: it's a model from the 2022 Collection that, for some reason or other, didn't get built until 2023. We think this is awesome, especially because it implies there's an actual time machine at the Fender Custom Shop! Just imagine a line of Fender Custom Shop employees walking through a time portal with guitars in hand...uhhh, actually, we've said too much. Forget about that part. Warning: if you start playing sick licks from places that exist outside the flow of time or get yourself into a Back to the Future-style situation while playing this guitar, Wildwood Guitars is NOT liable but we will send the Bass Department to help you.