The Relic Guitar Studio

• Style: Pre-CBS Body (worm route) for Fender Stratocaster
• Wood: Two-piece Swamp Ash (American) or Two-piece Alder (Japanese).
  Light-weight One-piece American Swamp Ash also available at £345 on request.
• Finish: Fiesta Red (Hank Marvin) Nitrocellulose (reliced)
• Routing: 3 Single Coil (other options on request)
• Weight: approx. 4lbs (1.8kg)
• Price: £215.00 (alder); £260.00 (swamp ash)


• 1 available in stock now

Up until 1960, Fender offered customers the option to have their new instrument (at the time these were: the Telecaster, the Precision Bass and the Stratocaster) finished in any colour of their choosing. In 1960 Fender introduced their very own selection of 'custom' paint options. Fiesta Red was one of these colours - made famous by many late-1950s and early-1960s guitarists, especially Hank Marvin's 1959 Fender Stratocaster.

There is often confusion over Fiesta Red and "Salmon Pink" or "Coral Pink" finishes. Although there is some evidence to suggest that a very small number of early-1960s Stratocasters left Fender's Fullerton factory in the 1950s Chrysler paint colour "Tahitian Coral", the majority of the original 1950s and 1960s Fiesta Red guitars have faded drastically over the past forty/fifty years, often so much so that it becomes hard to distinguish what the original guitar colour was from appearance alone. Many put this fading effect down to a poor batch of paint, different kinds (or lack of) undercoat, excessive exposure to UVs or a reaction with certain case lining materials. Whatever the reason, it is well-accepted that some Fiesta Red finishes from the Pre-CBS era faded very quickly whilst others still retain their strong red colouring to this day.

The photographs above demonstrate two of our Fiesta Red bodies aged to accurately portray the two different shades that the original Fiesta Red Stratocasters have now turned to as a result of aging, we also offer an authentic Tahitian Coral Pink nitrocellulose finish if faded Fiesta Red isn't quite what you're after. Available directly from us either in two-piece alder or swamp ash (Hank's original was alder), with the correct contours and worm route, thin and accurate nitrocellulose finish, and reliced to your requirements. Unless otherwise requested, heavily aged Fiesta Red bodies will always be supplied in the more faded hue as demonstrated above.

Our bodies are built to a very high standard and are specifically intended for vintage guitar restoration or relic cloning. Our bodies are finished in genuine nitrocellulose (without any polyurethane or plastic-based undercoats or Fullerplast), and using original paints and mixing formulas where possible to ensure boutique-quality and a 'road worn' feel. They are built and reliced using careful study and comparison with original reliced vintage guitar. This means that their contours, shape, colour tones, and markings (both in construction and relicing) are as close as possible to original vintage parts, and as authentic as (if not more so) any other vintage reissue or relic replica guitar on the market today.

Pre-CBS Fender guitars only had clear top coats applied to custom colours, metallic and sunburst finishes. Others were left without a top coat unless specifically requested when the guitar was ordered from the factory, this is often sighted as the cause of the extreme fading (or tinting in the case of the lighter Olympic White bodies) of colour in vintage guitars that still retain their original lacquer. In this respect our products deviate slightly from authenticity for the sake of modern reliability, with a very thin layer of clear nitrocellulose applied to all of out bodies (and more to those which would have had these clear coats in the first place). The majority of this is removed again during the aging process, and all of our bodies can be specified without any at all, but it does add just a touch more protection from sun and heat damage to the colour finish.

All of our guitar bodies, necks, accessories, parts, and hardware are aged to customer specification, so if you want a very heavy relicing effect akin to something that's spent its life being dragged behind a truck, we can do that! Equally if you only want a very light almost-NOS effect, that's just as possible. Just let us know and we'll make sure we meet your requirements. The only exceptions are extra-heavy (Gallagher-style) relics, or exact-match relics, where there's a lot more work involved. We are also able to offer a customisation service so if you don't see the finish you want, or the routing you want, just drop us a line to let us know your requirements and we will be happy to discuss the options available to meet your particular project guitar needs. We can also provide all of the hardware, parts and plastics you need to complete your custom relic guitar, either as separate items or in kit form, just ask.

Unless otherwise stated, the prices quoted above (£215.00 & £260.00) are for the body only, regardless of any other items which may appear in the photographs on this page alongside the body. All parts, hardware, components, and plastics you need to complete your relic guitar project are available separately.

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