Fender Custom Shop 1956 Stratocaster Aged Sherwood Green Metallic/Journeyman

This is a really lightweight, easy playing Strat that folds in just a touch of a Telecaster's taut feel and snappy, twangy tones. Brilliant stuff that might fit the bill of you're into twangier tones!

There are many Stratocasters out there to choose from - new, pre-owned, vintage, expensive, inexpensive, boutique, factory-made, etc...- we find qualifying Strats by either 50s style or 60s style to be a helpful yardstick when trying to figure which one is right for you. Our approach breaks down like this:

50s Style - given that Strats were released not long after the Telecaster was introduced, and were meant to replace the Tele with a more evolved model, the 50s styles have more Tele twang to them - and - have slightly fatter maple necks. 60s Style - by the 60s, the Strat had evolved into what many of us know and love (think Hendrix, SRV, etc...) when we think of Strats. Rosewood fingerboards, alder bodies, skinnier neck carves, and compressed, slightly "round" tones.

With that as our baseline, this '56 Strat indeed embodies what we think of when we think '50s Strat - a 2-piece Ash body, soft V carved maple neck (.94-.97"), and open, twangy sounding hand-wired '55 pickups.