I just got one last week - well, it's a Closet Classic that my dealer had buried in their stock room for a couple of years.

The CS pickups are somewhat more mellow/bell-like than the AV pickups (which are more 60s-style pickups. The neck, however, is the real difference in terms of specs - it is thicker than the AV '57 and somewhat softer of a "V" shape. Then you add in the CS wood selection and smaller batch building. However, I have to admit I just stumbled onto this Strat; I've played a bunch of CS Strats over the years and never really pulled the trigger one before; I've usually gravitated to the AV Strats because their necks typically suit me better - the average CS '56 neck is too fat for me (the one I bought is one of the smaller ones I've found and it is still quite a bit fatter than the typical AV '57) and I find the AV '62 necks also work better (they are in-between the slim CS '60 neck and the oval CS '65 and CS '66 necks).

Oh, here's mine:

I've seen a couple of pics from CS '56 NOS Strats with Noiseless pickups and the active mid-boost. Some custom "one-off" versions of this model had 22-fret necks with abalone dots, a 12"-inch radius, a humbucker in the bridge, an S-1 switch, locking tuners and Dunlop 6105s. Not sure if Fender offers these guitars with compound radius necks (9,5"-14").

Tried and Own...

Great Strat But it is a 56 New Old Stock and performs like a vintage 56 idiosyncracies are part and parcel.
Best I've found when matched up to a vintage amp, it will hum when subjected to bad electrical wiring but... you get a vintage clone Strat with all the character of that era and none of the anxiety of having a priceless vintage piece out in a club playing. Fender nailed it on this model.
I checked out a reliced 56 couple of days ago and I prefer the NOS time machine.

I've never heard of an actual NOS 56 with Noiseless pups, active mid-boost, as well as 22 fret necks, humbucker and S-I switching.
Those are all modern options not available in 56.. A 56 NOs with those options is not a "New Old Stock 56 Time Machine...[img][img]http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/MarcJM/IMG_8436.jpg[/img]

As far as a Standard, I traded my standard for the 56 NOS[img][img]http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/MarcJM/IMG_4497.jpg[/img][/img]

Tried and Own...

Great Strat But it is a 56 New Old Stock and performs like a vintage 56 idiosyncracies are part and parcel.
Best I've found when matched up to a vintage amp, it will hum when subjected to bad electrical wiring but... you get a vintage clone Strat with all the character of that era and none of the anxiety of having a priceless vintage piece out in a club playing. Fender nailed it on this model.
I checked out a reliced 56 couple of days ago and I prefer the NOS time machine.

I've never heard of an actual NOS 56 with Noiseless pups, active mid-boost, as well as 22 fret necks, humbucker and S-I switching.
Those are all modern options not available in 56.. A 56 NOs with those options is not a "New Old Stock 56 Time Machine...[img][img]http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/MarcJM/IMG_8436.jpg[/img]

As far as a Standard, I traded my standard for the 56 NOS[img][img]http://i657.photobucket.com/albums/uu294/MarcJM/IMG_4497.jpg[/img][/img]

Great choice!

I recently bought a 2004 Fender Custom Shop '56 Strat Relic ( Ltd Edition 50th Anniversary Gold) and it is my favorite guitar. Unbelievable sound. I assume it is like a CS '56 Strat NOS without the wear and tear of the "Relicing" and without the gold anodized aluminum pickguard.

Mine has Select Alder body, '50s Strat Single coil pickups, 1 piece '57 style soft-V maple neck (9.5' radius) and medium jumbo frets.

www.mikeimbasciani.com

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’04 Fender CS ’56 Stratocaster Relic RI 50th Anniv. Aztec Gold
'10 Fender American Select Mahogany HSS Strat
'07 Fender CS Vintage Heavy Relic HB Tele
'03 Gibson ES-345 RI
’03 Gibson Les Paul Studio (Fireburst)
Schecter California Custom Hellcat
Squier Bullet/Seymour Duncan HB/LockingTuners
Breedlove AD25/SR Plus Acoustic
Hohner ECA 612 12-String Acoustic