Pre-Owned 2022 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Vincent Van Trigt Mike McCready 1960 Stratocaster 3-Tone Sunburst With OHSC

Over the years, the Fender Custom Shop has made some amazing tribute guitars, but perhaps none had garnered as much widespread attention as the 2021 announcement of the Masterbuilt Mike McCready 1960 Stratocaster. 

 

Only 60 were made for the world, all by revered Masterbuilder Vincent Van Trigt.  It's an exact recreation of McCready's legendary guitar, down to every detail.  It comes with a custom case, collectible case candy, and serious collectibility.  This one was part of a private collection, never played and now available for the first time.

During his time at the Fender Custom Shop, Vincent became known for his incredible builds, unique aging techniques and extreme attention to detail.  He quickly became the most in demand builder - to the point where Fender couldn't accept orders for him anymore.  He left in 2024 to move back to the Netherlands with family, and his instruments have been in high demand ever since. This makes this super rare, not only as one of the few Custom Shop Mike McCready to hit the open market, but also one of the new Vincent Van Trigt guitars available.  

Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready has earned his place among the giants of rock guitar. Best known for playing a ’59 Strat, his searing leads are steeped in blues and classic rock reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Keith Richards, and his peerless work on hits, including “Yellow Ledbetter”, “Even Flow”, “Nothing As It Seems” and countless others, helped pave the way for Pearl Jam’s 2017 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. McCready’s guitar work in Seattle supergroups Temple of the Dog and Mad Season also featured instantly recognizable Strat playing, such as those heard on “Hunger Strike” and “River of Deceit”.  Inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan, McCready set out early on to acquire his own ’59 Strat, and, serendipitously, with his first ever vintage guitar purchase, he found “the one” that has been his primary instrument ever since. 

In a collaboration between Fender and McCready, the Fender Custom Shop recreated his incredible vintage Strat in exact detail.  In doing so, a long held secret about the guitar’s lineage was forced to be revealed to its owner: the Strat was actually constructed in 1960, not 1959 as had long been believed.  While McCready's longtime tech knew it, he did not - at least not until this project started.

For this limited run, the Custom Shop’s Vincent Van Trigt carefully disassembled the guitar in order to note and measure every detail, curve and scratch.  It even includes the chipped headstock (which occured when McCready slammed the guitar into a speaker cabinet during an especially intense performance with Neil Young).  The guitar features an Ultimate Relic treatment, with a lacquer finish on a two-piece select alder body; a flat-sawn flame maple neck with a 1960 “oval C” profile; and a flat-lam rosewood fingerboard with 21 vintage frets. Custom Josefina hand-wound pickups matched to the originals are connected to a five-way switch and vintage wiring, including a “treble bleed” tone capacitor. 

Other features include a three-ply pickguard, vintage-style synchronized tremolo with Callaham bridge block, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut, and wing string tree with metal spacer. Includes deluxe hardshell case, strap, polishing cloth, McCready case candy kit and certificate of authenticity.

What we have here is a truly special guitar, and a rare find.  With only 60 ever made, and less than 55 sold to dealers across the world to fulfill consumer demand, the Custom Shop Masterbuilt Mike McCready Strat was extremely hard to get upon the original release.  Considering the collectibility standpoint, and the fact that most owners will keep it for years, it's likely that many will never be available for purchase.  We look forward to placing this one in its next collection.

 

• Serial # VV200 (52692 on neckplate)
• Body: 2-Piece Select Alder
• Color: Faded 3-Color Sunburst
• Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer
• Neck: Flame Maple with a 1960 Oval “C” Back-Shape
• Fingerboard: AAA Rosewood 
• Radius: 9.5"
• Frets: 21, Medium Vintage
• Hardware: Nickel/Chrome
• Bridge: 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo with Callaham Bridge Block
• Pickups: Custom Shop Hand-Wound Mike McCready Strat® (Bridge, Middle and Neck)
• Wiring: Vintage
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
• Included: Deluxe hardshell case, strap, Mike McCready case candy kit and certificate of authenticity

Note: the neckplate of this guitar shows serial # 52692, as all 60 build do.  The official serial # is VV200.