While it may look and sound like an original-era Stratocaster that's been on the road for decades, the Custom Shop 1955 Heavy Relic Stratocaster also incorporates a few modern touches. The lightweight two-piece select ash body wears a way-cool color-over-color paint scheme, finished with nitrocellulose lacquer to let the wood breathe with pure Fender tone.

A trio of hand-wound '55 Strat pickups with alnico 3 magnets, '54 covers, a five-way switch and modified wiring—including a Tone-Saver treble-bleed circuit—provide authentic tone with robust lows and crystal-clear highs that stay consistent, no matter where the instrument's volume is set.