“They have always been a big thing for me because I think they’re the heart and soul of a Fender”: What gives a Fender guitar its spirit? For the Custom Shop's Senior Master Builder, there’s only one answer

Fender Custom Shop Heavy Relic 1962 Stratocaster made by Master Builder Dale Wilson.

Since 1987, Fender’s Custom Shop has been turning wild ideas into playable realities. Naturally, it’s learned a lot about what makes a guitar truly sing over the past four decades, and now its Master Builders are sharing some of their findings in the new issue of Guitarist

During an in-depth exploration of the Fender Custom Shop, Senior Master Builder Paul Waller offered his own two cents and what he believed makes up the soul and spirit of a Fender electric guitar.