Never had the chance to compare these two, both would be fine I gess, but how different are they in sound?
The 56 is brighter and snappier with tighter lows compared to the 60. So, the 60 is warmer and darker sounding with looser/less distinct lows, but maybe with a bit more high end presence. The 56 pickups seem a little hotter with a touch more mids. Now this observation is based on my one and only 60 and a couple of 56's, most of which had ash bodies. Nevertheless, I think it is generally true. Perhaps even more noticeable than the difference in sound, these two Strat have entirely different necks. The 60 has a slim C profile with slab rosewood fingerboard, whereas the 56 has a large soft V or boatneck profile (soft V to C transition, starting around the 5th to 7th frets) and is one piece of maple. Both necks feel great, but I wish the depth of the 60 neck (approx 0.81" @ 1st fret to 0.93" @ 12th fret) was closer to the 56 neck (approx 0.88" or 0.90" @ 1st fret to 0.98" or 1.00" @ 12th fret).
Kelsey's description of the two guitars was bang on to what Bruce from Wildwood Guitars described. For that reason I chose a '60 NOS Stratocaster from Wildwood with a 9.5" radius. This guitar is simply amazing, I'm totally happy with my first Custom Shop Strat that I got week ago.
Ive measured my USA Strat, its almost the same as the '60, only a 9.5 inch radius. I gess also the 7.25 could make a difference in a slimmer feeling?
I would think the 9.5 would feel slimmer than the 7.25. The flatter radius doesn't have as much of a hump.
