Fender Custom Shop 1956 Heavy Relic Stratocaster

As far as important years in music history go, 1954 was definitely a doozy. Elvis made his first commercial Heavy Relic Fender Stratocaster recordings, Bill Haley released "Rock Around the Clock", and Leo Fender introduced the Stratocaster. To celebrate the this momentous event, Fender Custom Shop is releasing the 60th Anniversary 1954 Heavy Relic Stratocaster solidbody electric guitar.

Artificially aging instruments with scratches, dings, and tarnish is always controversial—just scan our readers’ comments after a relic guitar review! Some players love the faux finishes, while others consider them silly, if not moronic, and this particular relic job may be more controversial than most. (More on that in a moment.) But at risk of spoiling the suspense, let’s tackle the big question first: Does this feel and sound like a fine sexagenarian Strat? Oh my, yes.

The Fender Custom Shop celebrates the diamond jubilee of the world’s greatest electric guitar with the 60th Anniversary 1954 Heavy Relic Stratocaster guitar. This special guitar honors the Stratocaster’s very first model year and is finely crafted with a rich selection of features and appointments, in addition to a heavy relic treatment that evokes decades of use, abuse and hard-fought wear and tear.