Fender Japan announces limited edition Black Paisley Stratocaster, with a chunky neck
4,9 / 5,0 | 
This limited edition Fender Japan Black Paisley Stratocaster will have many collectors and lovers of the ’60s-era finish drooling. The guitar has a mixture of vintage and modern appointments, and looks quite stunning in its silver and black finish.
Fender Japan Black Paisley Stratocaster
The Japanese guitar market tends to get some pretty special limited runs of Fender models, and this latest Black Paisley Stratocaster is certainly a looker. It has a basswood body that is finished in a silver on black paisley motif, with a clear pickguard allowing you to see the pattern across the whole body. Original ‘paisley’ models of the 1960s were traditionally pink, along with a few blue flower models on offer. This more modern black and silver version follows the same vibe, but updates the colour scheme.
Fender Japan Black Paisley Stratocaster front · Source: Fender
Fat Neck
The maple neck has a vintage 7.25” radius rosewood fingerboard with 21 vintage frets, and a chunky U-shaped profile which I know some players will love. The guitar comes loaded with a set of Fender USA Vintage Stratocaster single coil pickups, a six-saddle vintage-style synchronized ‘tremolo’, and vintage-style tuners, with nickel/chrome hardware throughout. The nut is made of bone. It should feel like a traditional Strat with its vintage fretboard radius, and should be perfect for blues and rock.
Details are nearly always hard to pin down on a lot of these Japanese limited edition runs, but for once, the specifications are actually listed on Fender’s site. And they are really good. I like a fat neck, and the US pickups are also a nice bonus ‘upgrade’ for a guitar of this type.
Fender Japan Black Paisley Stratocaster rear · Source: Fender
Great Value
The price is also very reasonable and, if you can find one, it’s well worth hunting down. I would be tempted myself at this price, as outside of signature and Fender Custom Shop models, fat-necked Strats are few and far between. I know many players are offended by basswood for a body, but I’ve always really liked it. It is neutral and perfect for solid finishes, as it isn’t pretty to look at, which is fine if it’s covered in black paisley like it is here.
This version is also a lot cheaper than the Fender Custom Shop Paisley models, and I do prefer the black over the traditional pink finish.
RRP – USD 999
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2 responses to “Fender Japan announces limited edition Black Paisley Stratocaster, with a chunky neck”
Hi, you mentioned above about the early pink paisley and about the blue flower guitar. But, I havent heard much about the black or gray special edition made in Mexico paisley stratocaster. Any info on that? I would greatly appreciate your response.
There was a run in 2012 of Mexican made Black Paisley Telecaster, but I never played one myself. I have heard they were nice though, but I am not sure about the Strat version or if it was the same year. It might be worth reaching out to Fender directly, as they are pretty helpful with this type of thing.