1997 Fender Stratocaster ’54 Custom Shop Reissue ~ Candy Apple Red

You are looking at a 1997 Fender Custom Shop ’54 Stratocaster Reissue finished in Candy Apple Red—because apparently someone at Fender in October of ’97 decided vintage correctness was nice, but looking this good was better.

This is everything you want from a late-90s Custom Shop build: killer feel, lively resonance, that unmistakable Strat snap—and just enough gold hardware flash to make a sunburst quietly reconsider its life choices.

Now let’s address the thing everyone is going to zoom in on, so we’ll save you the trouble:

There is a localized area near the bridge with a slightly heavier orange peel / textured appearance in the finish. This guitar has been inspected under black light, and there is no evidence of overspray or repair—the finish fluoresces consistently across the body, indicating this is original to the factory finish, not a later touch-up.

Translation: it’s a cosmetic quirk, not a cover-up.

Also present is a notable ding on the edge down to the wood, along with several smaller nicks, light to moderate fret wear, and typical pick-guard swirling from actual use.

👉 This is a player-grade Custom Shop Strat—not a museum piece—and priced accordingly.

Specs

• Model: Fender Custom Shop 1954 Stratocaster Reissue
• Finish: Candy Apple Red (nitro lacquer)
• Body: Alder
• Neck: Maple, Soft V profile, 1st fret .894”,  .995” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Flamed maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 9.5″
• Nut Width: 1.68″
• Frets: 21 vintage-style
• Pickups: Fender Custom Shop ‘50s Strat single-coils
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone (neck), Tone (middle)
• Switching: 5-way
• Bridge: Vintage-style 6-screw tremolo
• Tuners: Vintage Style, gold
• Hardware: Gold
• Pick-guard: White, single-ply
• Weight: 8.0 lbs
• Serial Number: CN701799

This guitar was born in October of 1997 and is in very good overall condition. It shows honest playwear including a localized factory-original finish texture near the bridge (confirmed under black light with no evidence of overspray), a visible edge ding down to the wood, smaller nicks throughout, and light to moderate fret wear. Nothing here affects playability—just enough character to keep you from being afraid to actually enjoy it. The original center control knob had a crack in it, so we replaced this… The original plastic control knob is also included.

It includes the original Fender Tweed case, certificate of authenticity, case candy, and trem arm.

If you’ve been waiting for a Custom Shop Strat you can actually play without needing a permission slip, this is it.

Whoever brings this baby home is gonna be STOKED!!

LET’S GO!!