Fender '56 NOS Closet Classic Stratocaster

this is a 2005 made reissue stratocaster.
56 NOS, this means that it is new old stock, not a relic where they make it look well aged.
it is just looking like it may have as it first came out of the shop in 56. unlike the relic ones it hasnt got oxidisation etc..

the aging part is up to me and grandfather time itself.
i bought this second or third hand yesterday and has been well looked after and hardly played.
i payed $3150 AU and was told the guy i bought it from had lost 350 by selling it to me. he said that if brand new from a non discounting shop it could be as much as $5100AU-australian dollars.

made in US in the custom shop at carona california. comes with the certificate of authenticity.
21 frets. maple neck. slightly figured, has a maple fingerbpard so it has skunk stripe. black plastic? dot markers and inlays.
yes the neck is fat and chunky. though i am also surprise at how good it feels to play regardless. the neck seems very light as does the body.

it is sprayed in nitrocellulose transparent white blonde with some very nice graining of the body showing through on top. im told this is an extra 150 american dollars for the showy wood type.
i have noticed that it is better matched than a lot of deluxe teles that i see around where you can easily tell it is two peice.
i wonder if thats why i see them rough matching bodies pulled apart for sale on ebay or not?

they have chosen long running grain with no knots in the join and it is hard to notice that it has been matched. i believe the woodbody type is ash. i guess that would be swamp ash. the others in the range where the paint is not see through are alder.

everyone should already know what a strats typical feautures are.
im thinking that the pickups are a copy of the originals for that year of 56. i havent had it apart to check though.
some of the pole peices are up high, a, d and g string.

the finish is nitro gloss, when i first saw it advertised on fender shop and on ebay where i bought this it looked pinkish.
the guy said it would age more yellow.
now i have the guitar it does not seem pinkish in real life anyway.
the finish shows where it has sunken in to fill the grain. ever so shallow but you can notice it in the light. chrome hardware.
the old tuning heads. round. im hoping they arent the same as those that i got on a japanese jaguar years back becasue they didnt last long before they had play before they would kick in and begin tuning.
thin frets from the old days.plays well. case candy is the tremelo bar a lead a cloth and a few hex keys.

the pick plate is one layer white plastic. i think mine maybe third hand or the guy got a good discount when buying it new..but the covering plastic is still on the guards. wont last long while i play it though.the case still has plastic on the locks and i may add that the case is a tweed and very nice.probably worth a bit in itself.orange plush inside with a push buttom clip on the compartment lid to hold your candy and whatever more secure.
my other case is often littered with strings etc.

pickup is three way switch, no combining.. i was told the hum would cancel if i set it in limbo but this does not seem to work.
im told the plastic pick guard is sheilded.
it has what you need in a guitar so even though switching isnt great i still give a 9. i spose if i were to consider it being a replica i would say all the features are there that should be.

i play heavy distorted mainly power chords.. like nirvana/ smashing pumpkins i guess but a little lighter.less drenched wet, i also do some sweet lead parts which this suits perfectly.
i have only plugged it into a line 6 flextone and will say it is very beutiful. yes it is warm. it is full. i like the neck pickup.
i played it around on all amps and checked pickups and this thing instantly showed up as one of the best guitars ive heard.
only a goldtop les paul sounded as nice, yes in a different way. but both beautiful.
it $%^& on my mates strat copy and $%^& on a squire i recently borrowed.

i was in a unit when i tested it for sound but i did notice as i turned it up it did hum like a bastard.but i want to mainly record with the thing so it wont be a drama. give and take i guess..

i should mention i was worried when people said "what you bought a strat?" as strats arent known to be used for heavy distortion. but ya know it sounds better or as good as anything ive ever played before.

i had a 2005 US tele which i just sold. it had this twangy edgey sound to it that i didnt really like that much.sure it sounded great. but for a heavy sound is was a little obvious.
i often would go back to my f hole tele copy with dimarzios and like that sound better.. amazing what an f hole and a humbucker can do to warm things up on the tele..if only that wasnt such a beat up electrical composite nightmare and said fender on the headstock it woulda been cool. yes i searched for a factory built one like mine and couldnt find a humbucking red transparent f hole with binding and mother of pearl inlays.. yes im picky.
ill fix that one up later, i just really was in a hurry for a guitar.

i had thought oh damm now im gonna have to do a modification and put in a hot rails seymore duncan to save routing the thing and wrecking the resale and authenticity.. but so far i dont think ill need to.
my distorted sounds for recording are perfect.

once i get my tele back and running it can accomadate the heavy distortion sounds live. this thing is clear and has tone all over it so id rather leave it be and use it for its purpose.
in the 50s there wasnt distortion like we have today in the forfront of the single coil makers minds but it does the job and does it well.
maybe ill look into sheilding the cavities someday.

soon ill be pluggin it into my mesa quad preamp and marshall 9200 power amp and vintage celestions..and pushin it as far as it will go to see if strats dont handle..i dont have any fear after hearing it through the flextone on all settings.i do fear the hum in a jam setting but can get away from it with the footswitching.
id like a mute switch actually.

i imagine the action is factory set up.
no buzz no problems.it feels perfect in the hand. the finish on the body is great.
the hardware is very good. everything is good except for these complaints.
i am picky.
the nut area has a blemish in the laquer where it seems the laquer has not been cut correctly.
the neck pocket isnt tight as it could be.
the pick guard where it goes around the neck near the neck pickup doesnt fit as it should either..why? because the pick guard has not been cut exactly to the neck shape or is that the neck has been sanded not to be exactly like the prior cut pickguard..
anyones guess that..
on the lower edge it hits the neck wood and so the scoop part that holds the neck curve beyond fret 21 is not exactly flush. there is a gap!! not big but you can notice its not tight.

next the custom logo on the back of headstock is flat and smooth. yet the fender logo and circle decal saying original custom body is raised as if it is a sticker, yet is nitro laquered.. i felt it may have been a rippoff and not a real reissue from the custom shop but am now guessing it is true to how they used to do them back then. maybe to please the purists and do a real reissue but it is a manufacturing fault as they should be level and not raised from the surface, even if they made the skip all those years ago..
they could have used more paint and sanding to get it flush.
i guess these days they are using thinner rice paper or something for decals and this is why the custom logo is not raised nor the fender logo on other teles ive seen.

when you can tell the decal has a perimeter it is not perfect.
you can feel it and see it in the light.

hey and why is my truss rod plug on the headstock fully plugged flush while others ive seen arent? i noticed others on teles have a hole still within the plug.
once agian i guess this is how they made them back then.if that why it is good. it looks good. just different to what ive seen before.
forgive me for not having an original 57 for reference or not researching how it was back then. but hey atleast now you get the picture.

these problems are slight and dont really take away from the instrument but for 5000 AU new in a shop youd think that they could get the neck to be a up against the pocket for a tight fit and the pickplate more fitting also. maybe the neck pocket wasnt considered to being sprayed so thin with laquer or something..i guess over the years gunk will build in there.

well we could say thats how they were back then so thats how they are now but that means back then they werent spot on either.
spose thats what happens when i fuss all day over a new instrument and they have more than one to look at.
someone email me why the neck plug for the truss rod has no hole please.. i think this guitar is too well made and sounds too good to be a rippoff. ranskye756@msn.com thanks.

definatley could use without a backup. it is friggin great and well built. i dont think i could break it wothout hitting it with an axe and then the hardware may still function.
time will tell on the tuning heads though.. id hate to have to put a new set on every five years or change them to precision schallers..
i dont know.. maybe the internals of these tuning heads are not weak like my jaguar ones were.. maybe my jaguar ones were cheaper copies..but then again.. i used to get very drunk when i had the jaguar so maybe i bashed them into some walls..
if the day comes where i turn the peg and it doesnt wind the string until i go round 20 degrees i will feel sad, this one will be treated better than my jap jaguar which by the way sounded really bad under many amps settings.. the bridge on this strat holds the strings in place on the jag they would fall off the saddle if you strummed them hard..no wonder they werent a hit wtih jazz players.
oh yeah and you would often catch on the switching.
not on this baby.

no idea.
even if i have a problem i just sell them or fix them myself or pay a luthier, i guess ive lost some money over the years in not hitting up for customer support on some items..not fender..but you know that you can void warranty or not be registered with a receipt easy enough so often you know not to waste your breathe.
hey i support them by buying and they support me buy selling and thats as far as i ever have gone.

i cant see a problem that they need to fix, it will be my fault id say if it develops a problem.a warped neck or something unforseen..
ooh then i would complain..id be dirty on them if they didnt fix it and i had looked after it.
i guess i should have a warranty card..(looks) nope, but i didnt buy it new. i also just found that i have some spare tremelo springs.. seeing as i dont use tremelo i should put them on. one less thing to break.

the only time i rang fender was ten years ago when i wanted a fender neck for my f hole copy tele.. i pretended my old fender neck was no good and that i wanted to buy a new one. the sound on this body was tops and the neck rather poor.

they wanted my old one to prove it and 600 bucks AU so i gave up! now we have ebay.haha. i guess they were protecting $%^& bodies being put with real fender necks..and hurting opinion on their instruments but hey if you buy it cant you then do whatever you like to it, like put it on a body with crappy hardware anyways..i can put whatever engine in whatever car and whatever tyres on it i like.

but id like this one to stay how it is. if i need customer support under warranty casue it plays up on electrics or neck or soemthing their guitar aint worth this much. dont you hate when something costs you ownership time by sending it round the place to get fixed..thats one reason why i bought a top end brand name.solid.

id buy it again if it were stolen. it is great. ive been playing for ten years on and off. im going through a resurge and getting the best gear now i have more money than when i was young.ive culled all the stuff i dont want anymore and settling on top qualty gear and less of it.
ive had a lespaul, 3 teles. ibanez. a fender twin, an ampeg a jaguar..a marshall jtm 60 a jmp, a 9200, numerous quads. two jbl axe boxes.
this guitar already beats any guitar ive owned for sound and feel.
ive never owned a strat before and am not dissapointed but i hear that i have one of the better ones..the les paul sounded great but was heavy and the f hole copy tele was great sound but falling apart cosmetically and electrically. i will yet buy or make an f hole tele with a humbucker and all the nice hardware stuff. amazing that will be too.
this strat sounds brilliant and will do nicley to record some lead parts and some clean parts, it fits nice under the arm on the ribs. for me this and a tele will satisfy as my other guitarist plays a lespaul and i dont want to sound exactly like him.

i dont like the hum. but then again i love the tone. i am not used to hum but will deal with it somehow. there are ways.
i have considered a single size humbucker but hey ill lose the tone for sure and dont want to yet take this away from stock pickup setup as its so good.if i wasnt gonna get a tele with humbuckers id have a hot rails or something put in it and still get the best of both worlds.
id probably get a 5 way switch too. seeing as i dont care for having an exact 56 id not worry about mods as long as i could make it back the way it were if i ever felt i should sell it.

the neck and the body is beautiful. it fits just right in you hand and is light.
i wish it was sheilded in the cavities, i wish it had a mute switch but hey this is a reissue of how it was back then for options.
i cant give it a ten as i believe i have payed lots for this guitar.. i coulda bought two!!!
and so its not what id call fantastic value but you get what you pay for.. id give a 9.5 - ten for most things thats for sure.its not perfect in anyway but comes close enough to sound like pure god tone. the holy grail? well its new so i think so at the moment. i just need to stop looking at other guitars and ill be right.im sure over time ill love it more.

custom shop,i forgot the year
specs can be found at fender's website
fiesta red
basically this beauty features everything you need
if you wish there were more features u dont need strats

i gave 9 because of volume drop at rear pick up
I'm not sure if this is typical for 50's fender strats since this being my first vintage fender strat
this guitar sounds just great
i mostly use rear pick up so i shouldn't worry about volume drop
neck pick up has that strat sound
i plug the guitar into ts808(reissue) and straight to marshall jcm800
head.i use 4x12 cabs loaded with v30's to avoid my sound getting too present.coz i like it darker and mellow.
i use 011 gauge tuned to concert pitch.
with this set up this guitar can be very versatile
from classic crunch rhythm to buttery high gain leads
i play rock mostly(not classic rock) and this guitar cuts just right in any situation
when i bought this guitar ,the other finalist was '62 NOS
compared to '62,this guitar has darker and thicker tone
'62 had more definition at high frequecies tho,'56 is more wide and full sounding.

perfectly built,feels so right even tho the neck is slightly beefy
lightweighted

this guitar will survive as long as you want
very stable unlike the ibanez guitars

i don't think fender will support buyers of their guitars in anyways
customer support is what you get,when you bought amp or electronics

if i am to keep 1 guitar at all
this is it

2000 Fender '56 Strat NOS Closet Classic. Typical Strat setup. Untypical fit and mechanics. A true knock off to the vintage Strats.

As good as it gets short of 20K. I put a set of true vintage Strat pickups in mine (not that it didn't sound good stock) and it launched it right over the top. It will stay with a geniune vintage Strat all day long, and surpass many.

Unbelievable attention to detail. They got the fit ABSOLUTELY right (a few minor cosmetic differences, but where it counts, it's all there). I have a handful of vintage Strats and the feel, vibe and fit on this '56 CS is 100% of what a great old Strat feels and plays like.

Strats are bulletproof.

N/A

I've been playing Strats for 25 years. This is the best non-original Strat I've ever had. It's great. The tone is there, and the playability, feel and vibe are absolutely authentic. And it's a great guitar to gig with and not worry about, you can leave your 20K old Strat at home and not miss it much.