Fender 56 Strat BLK Journeyman Relic

Fender 56 Strat BLK Journeyman Relic: Technical Review

The Fender 56 Strat BLK Journeyman Relic is a U.S.-made Custom Shop guitar based on the 1956 Stratocaster. Its specifications combine a black-finished alder body with a maple neck and fingerboard, a three-single-coil pickup layout, and vintage-style tremolo hardware. Fender lists it at 4799, with availability beginning in September 2024. No customer reviews are available, so this assessment is limited to the published specifications rather than playing impressions or owner feedback.

Body, Neck, and Fingerboard

The body is alder, with no separate top. Fender specifies a quartersawn maple neck attached with a bolt-on joint, and a maple fingerboard with black dot inlays. The Journeyman Relic finish is described as nitrocellulose lacquer in black. The product information names the finish treatment but does not detail its appearance or the areas where wear is applied.

The neck has a 10/56 V profile, measuring 22 mm thick at the first fret and 25 mm at the twelfth. Those dimensions provide a more specific description than the profile name alone, though they do not establish whether the shape will suit a particular player. The fingerboard radius is 191 mm, or 7.5 inches, and the neck has 21 vintage frets.

The scale length is 648 mm, equivalent to 25.51 inches. Fender lists the nut width as 41.9 mm and gives the supplied string gauge as.010 to.046. These measurements describe the instrument's layout; they should not be treated as a guarantee of setup, string action, or individual fret condition.

Pickups and Controls

The guitar uses three hand-wound single-coil pickups in an SSS configuration. The neck and bridge positions use Fender's 60/63 Strat pickups, while the middle position has a 60/63 Strat RWRP pickup. RWRP means reverse-wound, reverse-polarity, a pickup specification commonly used to reduce hum in certain combined pickup settings. Fender does not provide output measurements or frequency-response data here.

Controls consist of one volume knob, two tone knobs, and a five-way pickup selector. This arrangement gives the player access to the individual pickup positions and the selector's combined settings. The specifications do not describe the precise wiring scheme or state which tone control affects each pickup, so those details should be confirmed with the seller if they matter to a purchase.

Bridge, Hardware, and Included Items

The bridge is an American Vintage Strat tremolo, paired with Fender vintage machine heads. The hardware is nickel. Together, these parts support the guitar's period-based specification, although the listing does not identify the exact tremolo block material, saddle material, or tuner construction. Those details should not be assumed from the vintage-style labels.

• Black alder body with nitrocellulose lacquer
• Quartersawn maple bolt-on neck and maple fingerboard
• Three hand-wound single-coil pickups, including a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup
• American Vintage Strat tremolo and nickel hardware
• Vintage-tweed case included

The listing marks a bag as included and separately says that no case is included, but the detailed product description specifies a vintage-tweed case. These entries conflict. Confirm the included storage item with the retailer before ordering. The item number is 598725, and the sales unit is one piece.

Assessment

On paper, the Fender 56 Strat BLK Journeyman Relic is a clearly defined Custom Shop take on a 1956 Stratocaster: alder construction, a maple neck and fingerboard, a measured V profile, three specified hand-wound pickups, and vintage-style tremolo and tuning hardware. The listing also provides useful dimensions for the neck, fingerboard radius, scale, nut, and strings. It leaves some practical questions unanswered, including the exact wiring details, setup measurements, and the case-versus-bag discrepancy.

At the listed price of 4799, buyers should verify those unresolved details and request current photographs or a setup sheet if they need to assess the individual instrument. With no customer feedback available, there is no basis for claims about its sound, comfort, tuning stability, or finish quality in use. The documented specifications make the intended vintage-style configuration clear, while hands-on evaluation remains necessary for conclusions about performance.