Fender Custom Shop honours The Band's Robbie Robertson with Last Waltz Stratocaster guitar
Limited-edition model replicates original's bronze-dipped finish
In November 1976, The Band took to the stage one last time, and to commemorate the occasion, guitarist Robbie Robertson had his favourite red 1954 Stratocaster dipped in bronze. Now, Fender Custom Shop has recreated this guitar down to the last detail with the Last Waltz Stratocaster.
Robertson's guitar was heavily customised, with a left-handed middle pickup shifted next to the bridge pickup, which Custom Shop Master Builder Todd Krause has captured, along with NOS tone capacitors and knobs with the same tension as the original.
Krause has even replicated the 'wear beneath wear' refinishing job on the back of the neck, as well as the iconic dipped bronze finish, which results in a thin coating that lets the wood grain show through.
Incredible stuff. Only 40 of these stunning models will be available worldwide, and it's likely the price tag will carry a hefty weight…
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Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
