Calling Beck experts - did JB really use this guitar?

[NY Chief]

I have NEVER seen him with a humbucker in a Strat....

http://www.100percentvintageauctions.com/beck.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


(well...other than that one pic we found of him years ago with one....)

[MacGaden]

I have NEVER seen him with a humbucker in a Strat....

http://www.100percentvintageauctions.com/beck.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


(well...other than that one pic we found of him years ago with one....)

That´s the first JB signature Strat. It had a huge neck, and two Lace Sensors in the back, which you could use as a humbucker. The button turns the one nearest the neck on and off. I´ve never seen a pic of Jeff actually playing one live. Fender made three for JB, a purple, a yellow one with a hotrod airbrushed on it, and a seafoam green one, and production models started in june ´90.
The green Strat was his main guitar for a while, and it has Little Richard´s autograph on it, but only three pickups.

If this is one of Jeff´s it must have been a backup guitar. It looks like a production model to me.

[NY Chief]

Hmmm, didn't realize the first ones had the duals in it. I do remember the 3 originals (including "Little Dick") and I also remember the necks on the first production runs were HUGE.

Thanks, Mac. That one ain't worth $6K+ to me.

[MacGaden]

Hmmm, didn't realize the first ones had the duals in it. I do remember the 3 originals (including "Little Dick") and I also remember the necks on the first production runs were HUGE.

Thanks, Mac. That one ain't worth $6K+ to me.

There´s one of the first JB Sig Strats in a shop here. The neck is enormous, at least 1" thick all the way down.

The 4 pickups were a decision by Fender, not by Jeff, to distinguish it from the Strat Plus. Later on when the JB reverted to 3 pickups like Jeff wanted it, the Strat Plus got the 4 pickups.

This looks almost unused, and the ones I saw close up in Hamburg, were pretty banged up.

Edit:

Here´s a pic of his Seafoam green strat, with Little Richards sig, scratched into it..:



Another thing thats wrong: Jeff prefers the older style Wilkinson nut as you can see on the pic above, whereas the one in the auction has the newer LSR roller nut..

[yngwie308]

Jeff never played the dual bridge pickup guitar, ever!!! If you look at the Fender promo pics from the era, they always use ones with his hand over the bridge pickup.. , Jeff had the green Strat, just not with dual Lace Sensors. I remember this well as it was the first experience for me of signature models,n ot resembling the ones used by the endorsing artist! This trickery by Fender continues to this day . Although their vintage replicas are at lest close, unlike the Gibbo planks .
yngwie308

[NY Chief]

Jeff never played the dual bridge pickup guitar, ever!!! yngwie308

A mere fact the auction site fails to mention....

Those who would be interested in a JB Strat would most times know this as evidenced by this thread....

As always...cavet emptor....

[yngwie308]

Jeff can sound like Jeff on a big jazz box or a Silvertone guitar..as we all know. I have seen the Sleazebay saturated lately with '96 and up early JB model Strats most in unplayed condition, the baseball bat neck ones with the earlier Wilkinson nuts. Certain guitarists favor these, but it is a limited market.
To me a '57 or '62 Fullerton reissue Strat is a close to a JB signature Strat as Fender made, the same for Dave Gilmour as well, as they both played them from '83-'86 or so, in Jeff's case 100% stock and with Gilmour, the addition of EMG SA's the only change. I know I am always going on about my '57 reissue, but it is a KILLER Strat!!
yngwie308

[yngwie308]

Jeff was the first not to play his signature models, he led the trend in that.!
yngwie308

[carlygtr56]

I had TWO of those original JB Strat, baseball bat neck and all. Great guitar although I didnt like the Wilkinson nut at all.

JB never really used his sig Strat. He was always seen using the Foam Green model, but with three pu's.

However I used to have a vid of him using a purple JB model that was stock.
Thanks to YouTube-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n4YtHerbSk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;