This guitar plays like butter with the relicing on the neck and frets you really would imainage this guitar was from the 50's. The pickups in this are killer sounding as well. Does not include COA. I did contact Fender and called them and confirmed with them that this is indeed what the serial # says it is. Fortunately, Fender does allow for after market COA's to be obtained unlike Gibson, which is fantastic. Comes with the original G&G case.

Guitar it set up extremely well. Plays very well. All stock. Guitar is super resonant and sustains extremely well. Does come with whammy bar.

Weight: 7 lbs 8 oz. See picture

Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic - Faded Shell Pink over 2-tone Sunburst

Fresh from the acclaimed Fender Custom Shop, this Limited-edition '56 Stratocaster Relic loads the best aspects of mid-‘50s Fender Strats into a single guitar. True to the period, this '56 re-creation channels a time when the Stratocaster grew more refined and player-friendly with a switch to a lightweight alder body, streamlined hardware changes, and a popular then-new soft “V” neck shape. This Strat features perhaps the most comfortable take on the “V” neck ever with an asymmetrical 11/56 off-center profile that blends the “V” profile with aspects of a compound radius; it’s a supremely comfortable neck profile that Sweetwater Strat lovers can’t say enough good things about. Powering the '56 Heavy Relic Strat are three hand-wound Fat '50s with hand-beveled magnets that enhance bass response and tame excessive midrange for a truly vintage sound. Plus, Fender’s proprietary Heavy Relic nitrocellulose finish gives this limited edition high-wear pre-loved looks and exceptional tone that mirrors every great guitar’s natural aging process.

Custom Shop Fat '50s pickups

This '56 Strat Heavy Relic can pull double duty either as a rhythm machine, a lead monster, or both. A trio of onboard Fat '50s pickups from the Fender Custom Shop deliver beefy vintage-style tone with enhanced bass response and balanced midrange that’s never harsh. These pickups look and sound period correct with staggered hand-beveled alnico magnets and formvar magnet wire for refined harmonic response to dynamics. The middle Fat '50 is reverse wound, a welcome modern touch that cuts pickup hum when playing in position 2 or 4. Fat '50s are often called a workhorse pickup that are balanced but never flat or bland. With three of them and a 5-way pickup selector, there are endless tones to explore. Plus, these pickups were built with period-correct cloth wire and fiber bobbins, proof of Fender’s immaculate attention to detail.

Painstaking vintage accuracy

With genuine 1950s Fender instruments fetching exorbitant prices nowadays, they’re out of most players’ price range. Thankfully, Fender Custom Shop re-creations such as the Limited-edition '56 Strat Heavy Relic provide access to vintage titans of tone via exhaustive Fender analysis. You’ll find the Limited-edition '56 Strat Heavy Relic remarkably faithful to the original with a few added perks. An alder body delivers bold, snappy resonance that’s become an icon of Fender tone. The rift-sawn maple neck and fingerboard’s rare 11/56 off-center “V” neck adds a little extra grip where needed for ideal fretting up in any position. It’s easy to make big leaps up and down the neck, and you have the perfect recipe for vintage tone and playability.

The Heavy Relic treatment

Relic’d guitar finishes are super common these days, but it was the Fender Custom Shop that first took the industry by storm with its groundbreaking synthetic aging process for guitars. Fender does Relic finishes better than all the rest, and the original Relic finish is still a smash hit. This Limited-edition '56 Strat Heavy Relic has an authentic nitrocellulose lacquer finish — thinner than today’s polyurethane finishes — which allows the wood to breathe and the tone to bloom. With the Heavy Relic finish, you get a guitar with a played-in feel and perfect fretwork, but also extensive worn visual character across the entire guitar. And like every fine instrument in Sweetwater’s Guitar Gallery, it’s been through our 55-point Inspection for guaranteed splendid playability right out of the box.

The Dream Factory

Since its founding in 1987, the Fender Custom Shop has been home to some of the finest luthiers in the world. Whether you’re picking up a unique limited edition like this Limited-edition '56 Strat Heavy Relic or having them build-to-order the Fender of your dreams, the Custom Shop earns its nickname — the Dream Factory — with every masterpiece they create. Custom Shop instruments are made from only the highest-grade, hand-selected materials, including impeccable tonewoods, high-end electronics, and premium hardware. And to protect your investment for many decades of playing enjoyment, your Fender Custom Shop instrument comes in a deluxe hardshell case, complete with a certificate of authenticity.

Fender Custom Shop Limited-edition '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic Features:

• Resonant 2-piece alder body delivers classic '50s-style Fender tone, sorted for lightness to guarantee a comfortable weight
• Ultra-stable neck cut from rift-sawn maple delivers exceptional playability
• Rare 11/56 off-center “V” neck profile designed for the ideal grip at each point on the neck
• 25.5-inch scale maple fingerboard with a 9.5-inch radius and 21 frets
• 3 Fender Custom Shop Fat '50s pickups with 5-way pickup selector and period-accurate wiring
• Breathable nitro lacquer finish
• Aged nickel hardware including vintage tuners, vintage-style synchronized tremolo, and 6-saddle bridge
• Heavy Relic finish for an exceptional worn-in feel with tons of personality and character
• One-off color scheme with a pink topcoat and 2-tone sunburst underneath
• Fender Custom Shop neck plate with stamped serial number for authenticity
• Made in the U.S.A.