Fender 63 Strat Relic GYW HSS

Fender 63 Strat Relic GYW HSS review

The Fender 63 Strat Relic GYW HSS is a U.S.-made Custom Shop guitar with a 1963 Relic model designation and a Graffiti Yellow finish. Its specifications describe a familiar ST-style outline combined with an HSS pickup arrangement: a humbucker at the bridge and two single-coil pickups in the middle and neck positions. The listed price is 6099, with no currency specified in the supplied information. The model has been available since July 2025.

This is a specification-based assessment, not a hands-on report. No customer reviews were provided, so there is no basis for claims about its sound, setup, finish quality, or playing feel in practice. The details do, however, make its design priorities and a few points worth checking clear.

Body, neck, and finish

The body is alder, with no separate top listed. The bolt-on neck is made from rift-sawn maple, and the fingerboard is described as 9 mm AA rosewood. White dot inlays provide simple position markers. The neck profile is a 1960s-style oval C, measuring 20 mm thick at the first fret and 24 mm at the twelfth. Those measurements give a more useful picture of the neck shape than the profile name alone, though they do not establish how it will feel in a player's hand.

The fingerboard radius is 241 mm, or 9.5 inches, and the scale length is 648 mm, or 25.5 inches. The nut is bone, with a width of 41.9 mm. Fender vintage-style tuning machines and chrome-plated hardware round out the listed hardware specification. The finish is nitrocellulose lacquer in Graffiti Yellow. The product data does not explain the relic treatment or specify how much wear is simulated, so its appearance cannot be judged from the name alone.

Pickup configuration and controls

The HSS layout uses an EVH Wolfgang Black humbucker at the bridge, a hand-wound 1960/1963 Stratocaster reverse-wound, reverse-polarity single coil in the middle, and a hand-wound 1960/1963 Stratocaster single coil at the neck. This gives the guitar different pickup types across its three positions. The humbucker is the main departure from a traditional three-single-coil Stratocaster arrangement, while the two single coils retain the specified period-referenced design.

Controls consist of one volume knob, two tone knobs, and a five-way selector. The specification does not map individual switch positions to pickup combinations, nor does it describe coil splitting or other switching functions. It would therefore be unwise to assume additional wiring options from the HSS label alone.

Tremolo, frets, and included case

A vintage tremolo is listed, along with factory-installed strings in gauges.010 to.046. The available information does not state whether the tremolo is set up to float or rest against the body, and it gives no details about bridge adjustment. Those setup choices can affect operation, but they need to be confirmed on the individual instrument.

There is a discrepancy in the supplied fret count. The general specification lists 22 frets, while the detailed build information states 21 narrow-tall frets. That conflict should be resolved with Fender or the seller before purchase, especially if fret count is a deciding factor. Both entries refer to a different number, so neither should be silently treated as definitive.

The package includes a white tolex case and does not include a gig bag. The guitar is listed as one piece per sales unit. Its U.S. Manufacture and Custom Shop designation are explicit, but no further information is supplied about inspection, setup, or included paperwork.

What the specifications establish

The strongest points of the listed configuration are its clearly identified wood and neck dimensions, named pickup models and winding types, bone nut, vintage tremolo, and included hard case. The HSS layout gives it a distinct hardware specification compared with a conventional all-single-coil Stratocaster, while the 1963 model designation and finish establish its stated aesthetic direction. Those facts describe the build, not its actual tone or condition.

At 6099, buyers should verify the currency, the fret count, and the precise condition of the relic finish before committing. It is also sensible to confirm the tremolo setup and pickup switching details with the seller. With no customer feedback or independent playing impressions available, the Fender 63 Strat Relic GYW HSS can be assessed here only by its published components and the inconsistencies in its specification sheet.