Fender Jeff Beck Strat, surf green, made in USA 1996. Jeff Beck was the 'guitarist's guitarist'; his immaculately tidy and wildly melodic playing has influenced countless players over the decades since his rise to fame in the 1960s. Jeff's signature Strat launched in 1991, after a couple of years of R&D and some involvement with the design of the iconic Strat Plus model in the late 80s. This is an excellent example of a 'first run' JB: locking tuners, roller nut, baseball bat neck, Lace Sensor Gold pickups in the HSS configuration, TBX tone boost/cut control, two-point tremolo... all the original iconic appointments are present and accounted for and in good working order. The neck really is beefy: measuring at 25mm depth at the 1st fret, it's a good 5mm thicker than a regular Strat, so it feels big in the hand and seems to add a bit of sustain into the mix too. Pairing that neck with the sturdy hardware, this holds tune beautifully and feels very alive and responsive in the hands. It sounds superb: the Lace Sensor pickups respond a bit differently to a standard single coil, but the combo of a low noise floor and outstanding bell-like clarity and dynamic range make for very enjoyable sound. The bridge pickup, more like a pair of singles than a trad humbucker, sounds awesome: thick, juicy and punchy with a big wide growl and plenty of sparkle on the top end. The original surf green finish looks spectacular in the flesh, it really is in remarkable condition for a guitar of this age. The dark streaky rosewood board and yellowed cream guard tie it all together perfectly, the thing looks fantastic. My understanding is that these came with a tweed style case, but this ships with a 90s-era ABS Fender hard case, which is presumably non-original, so this is priced accordingly. These first run Jeff models have shot up in value very quickly since January, and it's safe to wager they won't get any more common as the years roll on. Vale Mr Beck.

Model: Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster
Made: USA, Corona factory, neck date Jan 1996 (serial SE923363. Quick note: the few years gap between serial implied date and neck+body date is common on early Jeff and Clapton models as they produced a backlog of the necks for these models)
Finish: surf green, gloss poly, 3-ply cream guard
Body: alder
Neck: maple, rosewood board, 25.5" scale, 9.5" radius, 'baseball bat' profile, 42mm nut, 52mm wide at 12th, 25mm deep at 1st fret, 28mm deep at 12th fret
Weight: 3.865kg
Mods: bridge pickup height springs replaced
Pickups: Lace Sensor Gold single coil x4, TBX treble boost/cut, button-activated humbucker/split
Case: Fender hard case, trem arm, original allen keys and trem screws envelope

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has a couple of dimples on the back near the serial number. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor rub wear from play only. The back has some very light scuffs around the trem cavity and along the belly carve and some dimples along the back edge, no major marks. The sides have some very light scuffs in the elbow area and near the jack, barely worth mentioning, The front has some light play wear on the guard and horns, no major marks. Overall: excellent condition (9/10).

Playing condition notes: action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. Electronics tested and working properly. The frets have minor wear only, 9/10 for fret life left. Wearing fresh 10/46 Moonshiners strings.