A Rare Find with Classic Character
Harkening back to the Stratocaster’s earliest days, this Vintage Custom ’55 Hardtail expertly blends classic detailing with contemporary considerations, a fusion that Sweetwater’s Strat players find incredibly satisfying. The era-accurate 1-piece maple neck and fingerboard is rift-sawn, and shaped with a classic “U” profile, straight out of 1954. Boasting 21 medium-vintage frets, you’ll bring the classic 2-piece alder body tones to life, ripping licks across a compound-radius 7.25–9.5-inch fingerboard. Closet Classic hardware adorns this Strat, with ’55 pickups and a control assembly to give you that timeless tenacity. Plus, the hardtail bridge features era-accurate “patent pending saddles,” with vintage-style tuning machines, a bone nut, and a disc string tree to ensure this Strat can bark and bite.
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Hand selected for vintage sound
Fender’s Custom Shop selects all their wood by hand, guaranteeing an aural arrangement befitting its timeless heritage. Ash populates the 2-piece body, pairing high shock-resistance with a strong sonic profile, ripe with a robust midrange and warm lows. The maple 1-piece neck and fingerboard deliver clear, cutting tones with great note separation, tight low end, and powerful projection. Together, the ’55 Hardtail Stratocaster’s tonal character is even keeled, with striking articulation across every register, sustaining solid voicing and underpinned with warmth.
Singular construction with modern mastery
The 1-piece maple neck and fingerboard are great not only for its tonal character, but the Vintage Custom '55's physical stability, remaining highly resistant to warping and changing under regular climate fluctuations. Moreover, it’s rift-sawn cut works to eliminate ray fleck while conserving the structural integrity typically associated with quartersawn necks. A classic 1954 “U” profile is great for an array of playstyles that incorporate side and back thumb placement. Sitting atop this maple neck are 21 medium-vintage (47095) frets, scaling its 25.5-inch length with a compound-radius 7.25–9.5-inch fingerboard. Closet Classic hardware includes vintage-style tuning machines accompany a bone nut and disc string tree for timeless detailing and consistent tones and tunings.
Time-honored tones
Under the hood, this ’55 Hardtail Strat is loaded with Custom Shop Hand-wound ’55 Strat pickups, known for their reliable sustain and crystalline clarity, wired up to a vintage ’55 control assembly and 5-way switch. Dial in this carefully-crafted tone with a master volume and two tone controls, elegantly mounted on a matching single-ply eggshell pickguard. The 6-saddle hardtail bridge features the classic “patent pending” saddles, combining tonal consistency with period-precise design.
Fender Custom Shop Vintage Custom '55 Hardtail Stratocaster Features:
- Custom Shop Hand-wound ’55 single-coil pickups yield vintage tone with dynamic range
- 2-piece ash body is hand-selected to provide bright tonal character with tight basses and robust mids
- Rift-sawn maple neck is lightweight, sturdy, and climate adaptable
- 1-piece maple neck and fretboard produce clear mids and stellar highs, and great note separation
- 1954-style “U” neck profile accommodates an array of playing styles with side and neck thumb placement
- 21 medium-vintage (47095) frets sprawl a compound-radius 7.25–9.5-inch fingerboard
- Vintage ’55 Control Assembly features 5-way switch with SSS configuration
- Vintage-style tuners, disc string tree, and bone nut provide stable, reliable tone
- Closet Classic hardware include 6-saddle hardtail bridge with “patent pending” saddles
- Deluxe hardshell case, strap, and certificate of authenticity included
