Fender Custom Shop 2021 Limited 1955 Stratocaster – Relic • SN: CZ554622

Most products that were invented in 1954 have faded away by now. Our society has gone through half a dozen periods of social upheaval, multiple wars, and several financial crises since then, and our day-to-day life looks nothing like it used to. Technology has progressed at such a rapid rate since then that even the fifties’ most space-age designs became obsolete in a couple years. Yet despite all the change that occurred on this ball of dirt and water over the last six decades, one thing has remained constant: the Fender Stratocaster.

The Stratocaster’s longevity is a testament to the brilliance of Leo Fender’s original design. Originally, Leo wanted the Strat to be Fender’s flagship high-end guitar, and he put an immense amount of research and development into making it the best axe on the market. It went through two years of refinement before Leo finished the first small batch in 1953, but the tremolo system made the guitar sound like “an amplified banjo with no sustain” according to early beta-tester Bill Carson. Rather than put out a product he wasn’t satisfied with, Leo retooled his factory and took another crack at designing a better vibrato system.

The resulting revolutionary “floating tremolo” tailpiece is an excellent example of why the Stratocaster has withstood the test of time. Leo Fender designed the Stratocaster’s bridge thinking it would be used for gentle bends and narrow vibrato, but he did such a good job overdesigning it that it was able to handle Jimi Hendrix’s rampant whammy bar abuse during the psychedelic seventies and Kurt Cobain’s on-stage freakouts during the noisy nineties. The basic design of the Strat never had to change, because Leo got it right the first time.

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Serial Number: CZ554622
Brand Fender Custom Shop
Model 2021 Limited 1955 Stratocaster
Finish Color Desert Tan
Aging Relic
Finish Type Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Weight 7.91 lbs.
Body Wood Ash
Neck Wood One Piece of Riftsawn Maple
Neck Shape '54 Strat Soft V
Neck Dimensions .930 1st - .990 12th
Fingerboard Radius Compound 7.25"-9.5"
Nut Material Bone
Frets 21 Medium-Vintage 47095s
Pickups 3 Custom Shop Hand-Wound '55 Strat Single-Coils
Controls 1 Volume, 2 Tone, 5-Way
Hardware Gold
Tuners Vintage-Style with Fender Logo
Bridge Custom Shop Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
Pickguard Gold Anodized Aluminum
Case Hardshell Case
COA Yes