Fender 56 Strat Relic Aged Black LTD

Fender 56 Strat Relic Aged Black LTD: Technical Review

The Fender 56 Strat Relic Aged Black LTD is a U.S.-made, limited-run guitar based on the 1956 Stratocaster. Its listed price is 4555, with no currency specified in the supplied information. The model has been available since February 2024, and its item number is 575133. Fender identifies the finish as Aged Black and the body shape as ST-style. The listing describes the limited run as a single piece, so this is a distinctly restricted offering rather than a standard production model.

The available specifications describe the hardware and construction in useful detail, but provide no customer reviews or playing impressions. That makes a feature-based assessment the appropriate approach. The listed combination centers on an alder body, a maple neck and fingerboard, three single-coil pickups, and a vintage-style synchronized tremolo.

Body and neck construction

The body is made from selected alder in two pieces, with an offset seam. No separate top is specified. The neck is made from quarter-sawn maple, and the fingerboard is also maple. Fender specifies a soft V neck profile, a shape that differs from the more rounded C profiles found on many guitars. The profile designation describes the neck's cross-section; it does not, on its own, establish how it will feel in a particular player's hands.

The fingerboard has a compound radius that changes from 7.25 inches to 9.5 inches. At the lower end, the specification retains the tighter radius associated with vintage-style layouts. The flatter upper radius is a design choice intended to accommodate a different fingerboard curvature along the neck. The guitar has 21 medium vintage frets. Fender does not provide fret dimensions, neck measurements, or setup details in the supplied data, so those points cannot be assessed here.

The scale length is listed as 648 mm, the standard long scale dimension associated with this model category. The combination of a maple neck and maple fingerboard keeps the materials consistent across the neck assembly, while the body uses alder. The finish is described as Aged Black, but no additional finish material or aging procedure is specified.

Pickups and controls

The pickup configuration is SSS, meaning three single-coil pickups. Fender identifies them as Custom Shop hand-wound Tomatillo Strat pickups, with a reverse-wound, reverse-polarity middle pickup. That middle-pickup specification is a concrete part of the design, though the supplied information does not state output levels, magnet type, or measured frequency response.

The wiring is listed as Vintage Modified No. 2, with Tone-Saver Bleed. These named circuit features distinguish the electronics from a basic, unspecified three-pickup setup. The source data does not describe the exact switching positions or provide a circuit diagram, so those details should not be inferred. A single-ply parchment pickguard completes the listed pickguard specification.

Tremolo and other hardware

The bridge is a Custom Shop vintage synchronized tremolo. Fender also lists vintage-style tuning machines and a wing string tree. No additional information is provided about the tremolo's adjustment range, bridge-block material, saddle design, or the tuning machines' gear ratio. Those omissions limit how far the hardware can be compared with other instruments based on specifications alone.

For players considering a vintage-oriented Stratocaster layout, the listed hardware and 21-fret fingerboard establish the broad design direction. The model's more specific points are the compound-radius fingerboard, soft V neck, hand-wound Tomatillo pickups, and modified wiring. These are verifiable configuration details, not evidence of a particular sound or playing feel.

Case, availability, and specification limits

The package includes a deluxe hardshell case and a certificate of authenticity. A gig bag is not included. The guitar is listed as one sales unit, and the stated production run is a single piece. The certificate and case are included items; the supplied details do not describe their materials, dimensions, or other features.

The Fender 56 Strat Relic Aged Black LTD has a clearly defined vintage-inspired specification, with selected alder construction, a maple neck and fingerboard, a compound-radius fingerboard, and a three-single-coil pickup arrangement. Its specific electronics and tremolo add useful detail to the product listing, while important points such as pickup measurements, setup, and finish process remain undocumented in the supplied information. No customer reviews are available, so conclusions about sound, comfort, reliability, or value beyond the stated price would go beyond the evidence.