1956 Fender Stratocaster
A mid-1950s Stratocaster in the sweet spot of original production — past the rarity of 1954 but still deep in the pre-CBS era. One-piece maple neck, hand-wound pickups, and the refined original tremolo design.
Current Market Value
* Prices are estimates based on recent market data. Actual value depends on originality, condition, and provenance. Pricing methodology
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Recent Sales
Showing 10 verified sales for 1956 Fender Stratocaster. Reissues, replicas, and parts listings are filtered out.
Specifications
| Body Wood | Alder (two-piece) |
| Neck Wood | Maple (one-piece) |
| Fingerboard | Maple (integral) |
| Scale Length | 25.500" |
| Frets | 21 |
| Pickup Config | SSS |
| Bridge | Synchronized tremolo (six saddles) |
| Tuners | Kluson Deluxe single-line |
| Nut Width | 1.65" |
| Finish Options | Two-tone Sunburst, Custom colors (Fiesta Red, Shoreline Gold, etc. — very rare) |
| Est. Production | 1,700 |
Pickups & Electronics
Three hand-wound single-coil pickups. Three-way pickup selector. Individually adjustable pole pieces.
What Changed in 1956
Production was expanding rapidly as the Strat became established. Two-tone sunburst remained the standard finish. Custom colors were available but extremely rare.
Collector's Notes
Custom color Strats from this era are among the most valuable production guitars. Two-tone sunburst is expected — three-tone (with yellow center) began appearing around 1958. Verify maple neck originality.
How to Authenticate a 1956 Fender Stratocaster
The 1956 Stratocaster continues the alder-body, one-piece maple neck formula. The spaghetti logo is correct. Two-tone sunburst is standard; custom colors are extraordinarily rare and valuable. Check for the round string tree (butterfly tree began appearing around 1956-1957). Serial numbers on the neck plate (four or five digits, no letter prefix). For 1956, numbers should fall within documented Fender serial ranges. However, neck plates were not assigned sequentially to bodies, so neck date stamps (pencil or ink on the neck heel) and body cavity dates are more reliable. Look for a hand-written date on the butt end of the neck heel and in the neck pocket or under the pickguard on the body. Pot codes should show 55 or 56 date codes from Stackpole (304) or CTS (140). Pickups should be hand-wound single-coils with staggered Alnico pole pieces and black fiber flatwork. Cloth wiring throughout. The tremolo bridge plate should show consistent patina with the rest of the hardware. Kluson Deluxe single-line tuners. Original three-way CRL switch. The finish should be nitrocellulose lacquer. Nitro finishes check (develop fine cracks) and wear naturally over decades, showing wood underneath at contact points. The aging pattern should be consistent — even checking across the body, not localized. Refinished guitars often have a 'too perfect' look or inconsistent wear. Under UV/blacklight, original nitro fluoresces differently than modern polyester or polyurethane. Original custom color finishes are verified by examining the color in the pickup cavities and under the pickguard where it has been protected from light. Custom color 1956 Strats are among the most faked guitars in existence. Any custom color claim requires microscopic paint analysis and expert verification. Watch for body routes that have been filled or enlarged (indicating pickup or bridge changes). Original frets should be small vintage size — modern jumbo frets indicate a refret. The 1956 differs from 1957 in that the two-tone sunburst was transitioning to three-tone (with a yellow center) around 1957-1958. The round string tree was still standard in 1956. Production was similar to 1955 at around 1700 units.