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From Our Research Team:

A Sweetwater Exclusive Strat with Stellar Brit-blues Tone!

The Fender Custom Shop Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic puts classic English electric blues tones in your hands! A handful of Sweetwater's own guitar experts teamed up with the Fender Custom Shop to produce this exclusive Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic, which features a '56-style alder body, a '57-style neck with a soft V shape, hand-wound Fat '50s pickups, and a well-worn finish. The result? A smooth-playing, great-sounding axe that's fit for a cream-of-the-crop player. Call your Sales Engineer to find out more about this exclusive Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic!

Fender Custom Shop Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic Limited Solidbody Electric Guitar at a Glance:

• A modern-classic Custom Shop Strat with a Sweetwater touch
  
• Handwound pickups provide classic tone — and then some
  
• A new guitar with well-loved looks

A modern-classic Custom Shop Strat with a Sweetwater touch
This Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic isn't just a Sweetwater exclusive; a few of our in-house guitar gurus actually had a hand in its creation (in cooperation with the wizards from Fender's Custom Shop)! This instrument has all the hallmarks of a standout Strat used for some of the most memorable Brit-fueled classic electric blues you've ever heard. The combination of a '56-style alder body, a '57-style soft V-shaped maple neck, vintage-style components, and handwound pickups make this limited Stratocaster a great-playing tone machine.

Handwound pickups provide classic tone — and then some
Fender Custom Shop's Fat '50s pickups add some attitude to your Strat's classic tones. These calibrated pickups are constructed with hand-beveled, staggered Alnico 5 magnets and Formvar wire on the coils. The Fat '50s deliver enhanced bass response without the harsh mid-range. The middle pickup is reverse wound/reverse polarity for hum canceling in positions 2 and 4. These handwound single-coils complement the Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic perfectly; whether you're pulling out fluid solos or chunky chords, these pickups will serve you well.

A new guitar with well-loved looks
Yes, it sounds and feels like a classic Strat, thanks to the efforts of the Fender Custom Shop and our own guitar experts. But take a closer look at the Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic — you'll be hard-pressed to think of this guitar as anything other than a well-used vintage Strat! This brand-new guitar features the Fender Custom Shop's heavy Relic treatment, which encompasses everything from the aged appearance of the finish and components to the kind of detailed "wear" you might expect to find on a globe-hopping axe that's been used onstage for decades.

Fender Custom Shop Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic Limited Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:

• Body: '56-style alder Strat body (2-piece)
  
• Neck: '57-style soft V shape with tinted laquer finish
  
• Finish: Black with nitro lacquer finish
  
• Heavy Relic finish treatment
  
• White 1-ply relic'd pickguard, knobs, selector cap, and pickup covers
  
• Hardware: Vintage chrome tuning keys
  
• Pickups: Three handwound Fat '50s single-coils
  
• Electronics: 5-position switch
  
• Fret inlays: Clay dots
  
• Fingerboard radius: 9.5"
  
• Frets: Vintage-style
  
• Nut: Bone
  
• Case: Tweed

The Fender Custom Shop Sweetwater '56 Stratocaster Heavy Relic puts classic British electric blues tones in your hands!

Specification Detail Manufacturer Part Number 923-3000-719