Nash S-57 Review

Nash S-57

This review has been published on January 2011 issue of Sound Magazine. All rights reserved.

Did Leo Fender know he was creating a timeless classic when he first began designing the Stratocaster back in the 1950s? A true tone benchmark in music history. But as time passed and CBS took over the company, everything began to change — from production processes to quality standards, from marketing approaches to sales strategies. Over the years, the guitar itself slowly drifted away from Leo Fender’s original vision of what made a great electric guitar — a great Stratocaster. That said, since the early 2000s, Fender has been producing some truly high-quality instruments. In fact, many experts and satisfied players believe that this is Fender’s best era since the pre-CBS days. Even some Mexican-made models — like the Road Worn and Roadhouse series — are considered excellent Stratocasters by today’s standards. On the other hand, there’s still a significant number of players who long for guitars that are even more faithful to the original '50s specs. This has naturally led them to boutique builders and custom shop guitars. One of the most respected among these is Nash Guitars — a U.S.-based company that builds high-quality, vintage-style, aged guitars and basses.

The general specs of the guitar itself:

Body : 2 Piece Swamp Ash (Very Lightweight)

Neck&Fretboard : 1 Piece Plainsawn Maple

Nut: TusQ

Radius : 10”

Scale : 25,5”

Bridge : Gotoh Vintage (6 screws/Steel Block and Saddles)

Frets : 6105

Tuners : Gotoh Vintage

Switch : 5 Way Lever

Pickups : Handwound Lollar Single Coil Pickups

Finish : Pure Nitrocellulose / 2 Tone Sunburst / Aged by Hand

Nash S-57. Almost flawless Strat

Impressions at First Glance…

First of all, this guitar is a Stratocaster — a pure Stratocaster. In my opinion, its closest equivalent in Fender’s lineup would be a Custom Shop or even a Masterbuilt model. In some ways, it's actually better than the American Vintage Reissue series, which I personally like and consider to be excellent guitars. I’ll explain why in a moment. The very first thing you'll notice when you pick up this guitar is how incredibly lightweight it is. Truly impressive. I’ve played and tried countless guitars over the years — I’ve always been deeply into guitars — and I must say, this Nash S-57 is among the lightest I’ve ever held. For fixed bridge guitars, it’s on par with a Korina-bodied PRS Custom; and for tremolo-equipped guitars, it rivals the featherweight Ibanez JPM100 made from basswood. The balance and attention to detail in craftsmanship are outstanding. The body perfectly reflects the classic characteristics of a 1950s Stratocaster. Both the tummy cut on the back and the arm contour on the front are deeply sculpted, just like on the early models — detailed, comfortable, and historically accurate. As I mentioned earlier, the Nash S-57 features a two-piece lightweight swamp ash body — a historically correct, elegant, and ideal wood choice. I must say, this body is extremely resonant. It feels like it was hand-selected by skilled luthiers for tonal performance. You can clearly feel the vibrations of the strings — even the subtlest ones — right through your hands and body. It's truly amazing. Whether you’re playing chords, arpeggios, or solos, it doesn’t matter — the resonance is always there. These days, even among many high-end guitars, it's becoming increasingly rare to find one that actually lets the tonewoods breathe and resonate like this. That’s what makes the S-57 so special.

When You Hold It…

One of the few aspects that isn’t historically accurate on this guitar is the neck profile. While Stratocasters from the 1950s typically had a "V" shaped neck, this Nash features a comfortable "C" profile. Is that a problem? Absolutely not. Nash Guitars actually offers two neck profile options — "V" and "C" — so the choice is up to the customer. Since neck shape is such a personal preference, I appreciate that Nash doesn't insist on strict historical accuracy in this area. My first impression of the neck was that it felt perfectly comfortable in the hand. The fretboard has a 10” radius, which is another departure from the original '50s Fenders — but a welcome one, as it allows for low action setups and bend-friendly playability across the neck. Chords feel easy to grab, and bends ring out clean and smooth in every position. The frets appear to be #6105s, likely similar in size to what Warmoth uses. I haven’t measured them with a caliper yet, but they seem slightly wider than the Jim Dunlop 6105s on another guitar I own. Regardless, the fretwork is excellent — clean, shiny, and free of issues. Leveling, recrowning, and polishing were all done to a high standard. Sight down the neck from one end, and what you see is the kind of zipper-like uniformity that’s always a good sign. And importantly, there are no sharp fret ends to catch your hand as you play — very smooth. Another detail worth mentioning is the nut. It’s made of TusQ, which has both its pros and cons here. On the plus side, the nut is well-cut and precisely slotted — no complaints there. But the downside is that its corners are a bit too sharp. If you're not careful, you could scratch your hand, or worse, bump into a bandmate mid-gig! That said, while I know some Nash owners choose to swap out their nuts for this reason, I don’t think it’s really necessary. It’s a minor issue on an otherwise superb instrument. Finally, the tuners — no need to say much here. They're precise, responsive, and hold tuning very well. No play, no issues. And they look great too, with a tasteful, well-executed relic finish..

The Electronics…

And now, the electronics... What more can I say — Jason Lollar. This name carries serious weight in the boutique pickup world. He’s not just a renowned pickup builder; he literally wrote the book on pickup making — and that book has helped many small-scale builders get their start. He’s widely respected in the industry, and once you hear the tone of a pickup made by him, you instantly understand why. I’m absolutely blown away by his single coils. As of now (well, as of 2011), I can confidently say that these are among the best Strat-style pickups I’ve ever played — right up there with Fralin Vintage Hots. The way these pickups are wound makes a huge difference — not just in terms of tone, but also in how they handle noise. With many mass-produced, machine-wound single coils, you tend to notice hum almost immediately. And while I love the sound of true single coils, the noise can quickly become a problem, especially when you kick on some gain. These Lollars, though, are still true single coils — yet thanks to the precision winding and Jason Lollar’s craftsmanship, they hum noticeably less than your average single coil set, even when you're standing near large amps or stage gear. It’s impressive.

Here are the resistance readings for this particular set:

Neck: 5.40k

Middle: 5.60k

Bridge: 7.50k

Thanks to Jason Lollar and his mastery — this pickup set brings out the best in the guitar.

More on the Electronics…

I measured the pickup resistance values directly from the jack using a short patch cable, so the actual readings might be ever so slightly lower. When it comes to Strat pickups, I really prefer underwound coils in the neck and middle positions. They tend to sound far more organic, letting the natural tone of the wood and the guitar itself come through more clearly. The overtones, high frequencies, and wood-borne harmonics are much more audible and expressive with underwound pickups — and Lollars fit this profile perfectly. I can easily feel the difference. Only the bridge pickup is a bit hotter than the others, which is completely intentional and more than welcome. At 7.50k, it’s right where a Strat bridge pickup should be — strong enough to cut through, but not overly harsh or piercing. Thankfully, these Lollars never cross into ice-pick territory. Instead, they deliver lively, vibrant highs that stay musical and full of character. As for the overall tone? With the right amp setup, you can dial in the sound of “Layla” effortlessly. Want to go further back in time? No problem — Buddy Holly, The Shadows, Rory Gallagher, Buddy Guy... this guitar can cover all those vintage voices with ease. Just pick the right amp and dial it in. One small thing I’m not totally in love with is the volume pot. It’s an audio (logarithmic) taper pot, but the taper feels a little different from the ones I’m used to. On my other guitars, the sound usually starts to clean up when the volume is rolled down to around 6–8. With this one, it already begins to clean up between 8–9, which feels a bit odd. It’s not a major issue, and I don’t plan on changing it — but I do think I’ll eventually add a treble bleed mod. I use the volume knob a lot while playing, and I know I’ll appreciate that mod even more in the future.

Finish

Another big plus of the Nash S-57 is the finish. First of all, this guitar is fully nitrocellulose-finished — from the grain filler all the way to the topcoat. You can actually smell the nitro, and I love that. :) The aging job is also really well done. It looks realistic, like a guitar that’s been played regularly over the years. Personally, I might have preferred a few fewer dings and scratches — but hey, that’s part of the mojo. You either love it or you don’t… and I’m definitely in the "love it" camp. Nash offers three levels of aging: lightly aged, medium aged, and heavily reliced. Mine is supposed to be lightly reliced, but even that level of wear might feel a bit much for some people. It’s all a matter of personal taste. The finish on the neck deserves special mention. It looks convincingly aged, and the worn, unfinished areas feel absolutely great to play. That smooth, bare wood feel — just like Eddie Van Halen used to prefer — makes the neck incredibly comfortable. Effortless to move around on, and just a joy to hold.

Let’s Talk About the Overall Sound and Tonal Possibilities…

So, what do you expect from a '50s-style Strat? Whatever that is — that’s exactly what you’ll get here. It’s incredibly easy to dial in Eric Clapton’s tone from the Derek & The Dominos era (think “Layla”), or his early solo years with iconic guitars like “Brownie” and “Blackie.” Want the sounds of Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, or Jimmie Vaughan? They’re all right there, living inside this guitar.

And if you bump up the string gauge and pair it with the right amp, the Nash S-57 can even deliver convincing “Lenny” tones à la Stevie Ray Vaughan, or some seriously authentic Jimi Hendrix vibes.

That’s because the Nash S-57 is exceptionally well built, thoughtfully constructed, and beautifully finished — both visually and sonically. Unless you're an extreme perfectionist or a detail-obsessed modder, you won’t need to change a thing. It’s one of those guitars that feels too special to mess with. Personally, the only mod I found truly useful was adding a treble bleed circuit — I play a lot with the volume knob, so it was a functional must for me. And later on, I swapped the stock sustain block for a Hantug titanium tremolo block, which wasn’t necessary, but added a nice touch I enjoy. (Note from 2023: I installed a Kinman treble bleed and upgraded to a Hantug titanium block — it’s even better now.)

If you happen to live near a Nash dealer, do yourself a favor and give one a try. But be sure to compare it to Fender’s Custom Shop or Masterbuilt series — not the lower-tier models. Then take a look at the price tag.

Surprised?

http://www.nashguitars.com/

Yes! I can eat her up ;)