Fender LTD '57 Strat DLX C2SB

Fender LTD '57 Strat DLX C2SB review

The Fender LTD '57 Strat DLX C2SB is a U.S.-made Custom Shop Stratocaster offered as a single-piece limited run. Its listed price is 4899. The supplied specifications describe a classic three-pickup layout, a rosewood neck and fingerboard, and vintage-style hardware. No customer reviews are available, so this assessment is based only on the stated construction and equipment. It cannot establish how this individual guitar feels, sounds, or performs in use.

Construction and finish

The body is alder, with no separate top listed. Its finish is identified in the detailed specifications as Wide-Fade Chocolate 2-Color Sunburst, while the general color field says Sunburst. These appear to describe the same finish at different levels of detail. The model is a Stratocaster with an ST-style body shape.

The neck is made of rosewood and attaches to the body with a bolt-on joint. Rosewood is also specified for the fingerboard. The neck profile is a 1957 Soft V, a shape description that suggests a center ridge rather than a fully rounded back, although the measurements and contour are not supplied. Buyers who prefer to judge neck shape in person should do so before purchase, since the specification alone cannot establish whether it will suit a particular hand.

The fingerboard radius is 241 mm, or 9.49 inches. The guitar has 21 narrow-tall frets. That fret description identifies the fret type, but the provided data does not give fret dimensions, fretwork tolerances, or setup details. The scale length is 648 mm, approximately 25.5 inches, placing it in the familiar full-scale range for this style of guitar.

Pickups and controls

Three hand-wound Custom Shop Fat '50s Strat single-coil pickups provide the SSS configuration. The listed wiring is Fat '50s Strat wiring, with a five-way switch. That gives the instrument the standard pickup-selection positions associated with a three-pickup layout. No separate control layout, capacitor values, or pickup output measurements are included, so those details cannot be assessed from the specification sheet.

The pickup names and wiring identify a period-referenced design, but they do not guarantee a particular tone. Amplifier settings, strings, playing style, and setup all affect the result. There is no verified listening test or customer feedback supplied here. For a buyer comparing this model with other guitars, the useful confirmed points are the three hand-wound single coils, the stated Fat '50s wiring, and the five-way selector.

Tremolo and hardware

The bridge is a six-saddle, vintage-style synchronized tremolo. The general specification also calls it a vintage tremolo. Vintage-style machine heads and nickel hardware complete the listed hardware package. The data does not specify the machine-head manufacturer, bridge materials, tremolo-block material, or whether the arm is included. It also does not describe setup, spring count, or the range of movement available from the bridge.

The tremolo design and vintage-style tuners are consistent with the guitar's period-inspired specification. That is a description of the parts, not a claim about tuning stability or performance. Those depend on setup and use, and cannot be confirmed from the listed features alone.

Included items and buying considerations

A case is included, along with a strap and certificate. The general listing says there is no bag, which is consistent with the case being the included storage option. This is useful to confirm before ordering, particularly if a buyer expects both a case and a gig bag. The sales unit is one guitar, and the item number is 601000. The model has been available since November 2024.

The strongest reasons to consider this instrument on paper are its Custom Shop designation, alder body, rosewood neck and fingerboard, hand-wound pickups, and clearly specified vintage-style tremolo. Its single-piece limited-run status also makes availability a central consideration. The data does not state how the guitar differs from other Custom Shop Stratocasters in finish work, inspection, or setup, so those distinctions should not be assumed.

At a listed price of 4899, the specifications offer a detailed, period-oriented configuration, but a price comparison requires current offers and confirmation of the seller's currency and terms. There are no customer reviews to supplement the technical information. Anyone considering the Fender LTD '57 Strat DLX C2SB should verify the exact finish, included accessories, condition, and return policy with the seller. Based on the available facts, it is a U.S.-made, single-run Stratocaster with a distinctive rosewood neck specification and a defined set of Custom Shop electronics, not a product whose real-world feel or tone can be established from a spec sheet.