This 2026 Custom Shop Nocaster takes the blackguard formula everyone knows and adds something you won't find on an original: full binding around the body, front and back, which dresses up that sonic blue finish against the black binding in a way that's a little different from your standard Tele. The Journeyman aging is on the lighter side of Custom Shop's relic scale, so you get some dulled hardware and light finish checking rather than heavy belt-rash or exposed wood, giving it more of a well-loved-but-not-abused look. Under the hood, the maple neck runs a 1951 "U" profile with a 9.50-12" compound radius and narrow-tall frets, paired with hand-wound Custom Shop pickups that push that classic Tele bite and twang without going thin on the low end. Hardware is period-correct down to the slotted screws and three-saddle bridge. Double-bound Nocasters weren't part of Fender's regular Custom Shop rotation, so a color like sonic blue on top of that binding is a nice change of pace from the usual blackguard blueprint.
