2003 Fender Custom Shop ’56 Stratocaster Relic Vintage Blonde Mary Kaye w/ Case

Up for sale, a 2003 Fender Custom Shop “Mary Kaye” ’56 Stratocaster Relic in near-mint condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original tweed hardshell case. A Custom Shop model that faithfully replicates all the hallmarks of one of the most iconic Stratocasters of the ’50s, the gold-plated hardware used throughout evokes the Stratocaster played by early Fender endorsee Mary Kaye in her trio. This ’56 model features a two-piece ash body finished in transparent Vintage Blonde paired with a one piece V-shaped maple neck.

Featherweight and lively at 7lbs 2oz, this Strat has a sweet authoritative natural acoustic tone with the midrange complexity of ash and the treble snap of the maple fingerboard. The Custom Shop Stratocaster pickups feature black bobbin flatwork, cloth-covered leads and staggered Alnico magnets delivering plenty of sparkle, yet with a tonal depth and richness well beyond most Strats. The bridge pickup has percussive cut and chewy bite, with a clear-sounding middle pickup and a neck position single coil that has a bell-like chime and thickness ideal for lead work. Professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, we’ve dialed in this Strat with 11-49 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: Soft V, measuring .880” 1st fret, .985” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Maple, modern 7 1/4“ vintage-spec radius
-Frets: Slender, pristine
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1.650″
-Tuners: Kluson-style, single line, gold-plated
-Serialization: R-prefix on neck plate
-Factory markings: “56 Strat,” “Relic” and Jan, 2003 stamps in neck pocket/heel

Body Specs:

-Wood: Ash, two-piece
-Pickups: Custom Shop single coil x3
-Harness: untouched solder, CTS pots date to the 32nd week of 2002
-Controls: Volume/Tone/Tone, Three-way pickup selector
-Hardware: Vintage-style vibrato w/ cover, jack cup, neck plate (gold-plated)
-Plastics: One-ply pickguard, ivory knobs/pickup covers

The gloss Vintage Blonde nitro lacquer finish exhibits shattered glass lacquer checking and no discernible wear beyond the factory Relic treatment. The neck profile retains its smooth gloss, free of palm wear with just a touch of guitar stand-related wear on the neck profile carve behind fret 7, buffed smooth.

The original tweed hardshell case is included.