Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster

I have 3 Jeff Beck Strats. Two of them are 1991 models, and the other is 1994. They have the original FAT necks before Jeff & Fender started slimming them down. They also have the Lace Sensor pickups; single coil in neck & middle, and the dually in the bridge position. The coil tapping switch allows for either single or dual coil operation with the bridge pickup.
All of them have the rosewood neck. I have the blonde, seafoam or surf green, and midnight purple finishes. The tuners are the best tuner I've ever had on any guitar. I bend strings a lot and go crazy with the whammy bar and it always stays in tune.

These pickups are the quietest pickups I've ever used. During a silent passage, there is zero noise. I oringally bought my first Jeff Beck Strat because of the BIG FAT neck, thinking that i'd replace the Lace Sensors with some "real" pickups. After a couple of months of playing the guitar, I fell in love with the pickups. They help me get that great classic Strat sound, plus a great humbucker sound with the dual coil. I sounds great with clean amp settings and overdriven amps. I usually have a pretty hot overdriven sound. The pickups are extremely repsonsive to any subtle nuances in my playing style. I'm constantly (without thinking about it) switching between a pick, my fingers, thumb, and fingernails in my picking style. It's amazing how those subtle differences come through better with the Lace Sensors than with any of my other guitars that have stock pickups. Great variety in sound. Great sustain. Easy to play with controlled feedback.
My two 1991 models are set up exactly the same. I can close my eyes and can't tell which one I'm playing. They feel and sound exactly the same. My 1994 has a slightly thinner neck, even though still fat by most standards. As a result it has just a slightly different sound but others can't tell the diffence in sound like I can.

The quality of the guitar both in finish, parts, and playability is unsurpassed by anything else I've got. It's right on par with one of my Fender Custom shop guitars. In fact, the Jeff Beck Strats are more consistent than any other line of guitars by any manufacturer that I have played. Very well made, very easy to play, and beautiful finish on the body, fingerboard, and even the aged look of the lacquer on the neck and headstock.
The main thing that drew me to the Jeff Beck models was the big fat neck. The earlier models, 1991 - 1993 are the fattest. Then 1994 started slimming down a bit, and then again even more in the later 90's. Since that time, Jeff has had Fender slim it down even more, contour the heel where the neck & body join, and changed to the Noiseless single coils. I've played these new ones in stores, and while I think they play and sound very good, I still like the early 90's models because of that baseball bat feel of the neck. The ones with the fat necks seem to have more sustain and fullness to their sound.

All three of my Jeff Beck Strats have been extremely reliable. I play hard and they hold up well. I take good care of all my stuff. The finish on all 3 of them still look like they were just made. No checking yet, even though they are 17 years old.
Even though I have other guitars and really love playing some of my Teles around the house, when I play out live, I play the Jeff Becks exclusively. They are reliable and consistent. The reason I take all 3 is that one is my primary, the 2nd is a backup in case I break a string, and the 3rd has an alterate tuning that I use for some of my original tunes. I'm an IT professional, so I'm big on backups. I have backup amps, backup cables, batteries, effects, everything...and rarely have to use the backups. It's like when you take your umbrella, it doesn't rain. But these guitars are reliable even though I carry a backup, the only time I have to use it is when I do break a string. I can quickly unhook the strap-lock buttons, and put the other guitar on, and get right back to playing.
If I wasn't such a freak about having a backup of everything, I would feel very confident that I wouldn't need to have a backup for Jeff Beck Strats. They stand up to a lot of hard playing, string bending, constant pickup switching and volume knob changing...and have never let me down.

I've never had any issues with these guitars that required me to contact Fender Customer support.
However, owning many Fender amps and guitars, I have dealt with them on minor issues and they've been great and very responsive.

I've been playing for about 35 years. I started out on Telecasters, moved to Gibson Les Pauls, Ibanez Professionals, SG's, then fell in love with Strats. I'm mainly a Fender player, as they fit my style better and seem to offer more variety of sounds while still true to their "classic" tone and sound. I play mainly Fender amps (Prosonics, HotRod and Blues deluxes, old Fender tweeds, and an Ampeg V4). Main gigging amps are a Prosonic & HotRod Deluxe in stereo. I record mainly with a Tech21 Sansamp unit and sometimes a Line6 Pod.
If my Jeff Beck Strats were lost or stolen, I would kill myself...just kidding...I'd be on a mission to find replacements for them and would settle for nothing else.
A lot of my friends and people that come to see my band play say "you really must be a big Jeff Beck fan". Well, I respect Jeff and think that he's a great guitarist. I listen more to Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Roy Buchanan, Tony Iommi, Satriani, and John Jorgenson. I recoginize that Jeff is better than most on the planet and have seen him live many times, and like a lot of his albums. But...the main reason I have Jeff Beck Strats is because the sound and play great...and I just love those BIG FAT necks. I'm even thinking of sending one of my 1991 necks to the Fender Custom Shop, and having them build me a Telecaster with an exact duplicate of the Jeff Beck Strat neck profile. It's bigger than the neck on my 55 Strat and 55 Tele.

Standard strat features with the addition of locking tuners and LSR roller nut. Two great additions. Neck is wider than the American std but thin in a soft "C" shape. Pickups are nothing to write home about.

I play everything and own lots of guitars. I always come back to Fenders. I have an American with Delta tone pickups that sound better than whats on this guitar. I will change the tone cap to an auricap or whatever sounds best for these pickups like I did the American. I played it thru my 67 Blackface Bandmaster, Dr. Z MAZ Senior, Sunn 190L (1973), Sunn Model T, two custom design amps by Kendrick. The pickups seem tonally weak.

The reason I really like this guitar is it's playability. Great fret work, action and the neck is perfect for my hand size!!! I now know what to look for in terms of neck shape and size when I look for humbucker, etc guitars. The LSR nut and locking tuners make this a great strat.

No issues but in past I have had no problems with my Fenders.

No contact on this guitar but past experience leads me to believe that its probably a case by case basis... our local Fender repair place is great.

I would sell many other guitars before I sold this one. If lost/stolen I would replace it. I just wish the pickups were more unique sounding. There are so many great pickups out there it seems odd that Jeff and Fender would choose these. But then again Tone is subjective.

This is a 2007 Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster in Olympic White with Hot Vintage Noiseless pickups (unique to this model). The finish of the guitar is impeccable. The features of the JB Strat are unparalleled, making this a very versatile Strat. The Schaller locking tuners are a must. The trem works breautifully. I really like the contoured neck heel, which was a feature I did not think I would care about. It is a rather subtle contour, but it really helps with upper-fret access. The only thing that could make this guitar more versatile is to add the "Clapton" mid-boost kit with TBX tone control, which I may do after I gig it a few times. This should really result in a "do it all" gig machine. Alo, I really like the looks of the "Vintage Tweed" case, but the exterior of the case probably will not survive too much bar playing as it is very "fabricy" feeling and will probably grab dirt, beer, and grime easily.

The sound is pretty much what one would expect from a Strat, but with a little less high-end. Exactly what I was looking for. The Hot Noiseless pickups are fantastic. It is actually a little disconcerting how quiet the pickups are. When playing any single-coil guitar, you just expect buzz and hum, and to be moving around and continually facing in different directions between songs to mitigate the extraneous noise. Not the case with this guitar. I currently use this guitar with the following setup for gigs: JB Strat > Peterson Strobostomp > Teese RMC2 Wah > H.B.E. UFO Fuzz > Fulldrive 2 MOSFET > Lovepedal MagicBoy Vibe > Radial Switchbone that switches between 1968 Super Reverb with Weber Alnico (2) and Ceramics (2) and a TopHat Emplexador into a TopHat 2X12 with Vintage 30's. The JB sounds fantastic through this rig. All the strat sounds you could ask for. Totally screams throught the Emplex! I like the fact that the bottom tone control works on the bridge pickup, too. For practice I use it through a Vox DA5. Sounds good through that as well.

Set up was great out of the box, even though it was purchased as a "blem" and probably used, at least for a little while. The pichups just needed the slightest nudge up for my taste. There are no evident flaws in the finish or assembly.

Very well built, American made Strat. I would compare it favorably to my G&L Legacy USA. It should last for many years, and stand up to plenty of gigs. I never gig wothout a backup (usually 2). You never know.

I bought this as a "blem" from Musicians Friend. There are no blemishes or cosmetic issues whatsoever. I have bought blem items before and never had a problem. They are usually just "open box" items that have been returned in perfect shape.

I've been playing over 20 years. Semi-professionally since the late '80s. I own two G&L guitars a Legacy and ASAT Special Semi Hollow, and a couple of old Yamahas, a 1983 SBG-500 and a 1983 SA-800.
This is a pro-model guitar. It should last me for as long as my fingers still work. Then maybe I'll give it to one of my kids.

JB Artist Signature Strat, 2nd series introduced in 2001
bought new in Dec 2004
The specs of the JB-Strat have been listed before.
I think this model has some features that may be useful for any Strat player: The locking tuners and the LSR roller nut serve for better tuning stability when you use the whammy bar. The electric lay-out with the second tone control affecting the bridge pickup too is a surplus compared to conventional Strats. I appreciate the Noiseless Pickups. The tweed case (included) looks prestigious. I wish the guitar had a pop-in vibrato arm.
Accessories: Why do I find strap lock buttons on the guitar, while I miss their complements? The flimsy strap (included) is prepared for vintage buttons and hence absolutely worthless. These details are far from being crucial but this instrument is not that cheap.

I am still amazed at the broad variety of sounds you can get out of this guitar quite easily. It comprises the full range of what one would expect from a "modern Strat". Even some stuff resembling the twangy sound of Hank Marvin is possible. (I like this particular sound more than the actual music played by Marvin & The Shadows.) More often than expected I find myself playing on the middle pup solely. This pup has really got something to say in the JB-Strat. I use the bridge pup occasionally for a twangy phrase, the tone control is a help here. I am not so satisfied with the neck pup alone. It is fine for playing rhythm. But with single note lines it provides a somewhat small tone. I miss a good portion of the praised warmth and depth of the neck pup tone. I am still trying to improve on that and I am confident to find the desired sound of the neck pup.
Generally speaking, the JB-Strat sounds best to me in pup positions 2, 3 and 4; positions 1 and 5 are worthwhile exploring. The guitar sustains artificial harmonics very well.

Finish of body and neck is flawless. I like the satin finish of neck and headstock. The tuners look cool. Set-up was o.k. as far as string action, intonation, fretwork and operation of the vibrato system are concerned. But my guitar probably left the factory with a defective truss rod (see below).

I believe that my guitar is healthy now. But there was an unpleasant incident in Jan 2006. I took the guitar out of the case after a pause of two weeks. As son as I started to play, an ill sounding buzz occurred. (This happened at home.) Knocking on the neck and the headstock made it clear, that the buzz came from the truss rod, which seemed to be completely loose. I went to the local dealer, from whom I had purchased the guitar 13 months before. The friendly salesman accepted the instrument as a case of warranty, which is 2 years. We had no dispute about that. (Support see below.)
In general, I think the JB-Strat is as reliable as any well crafted Strat. I usually go to gigs without a back-up, since I do not bang a guitar too hard. I play in a non-professional big band, so no one misses the guitarist in case he has to lay out for a few minutes reloading a string or whatever.

(truss rod continued from Jan 2006) It was obvious that there was nothing to be fixed or re-adjusted. The complete neck had to be replaced by a new one. The instrument was sent in to Fender, Duesseldorf (West Germany) only 15 miles away from the music store. Fender Duesseldorf is also the Fender headquarter in Europe, as far as I know. The salesman estimated, it would take 4 or 6 weeks to get things done. We agreed that he would inform me within 2 weeks about what was going to happen. He could not do so. Subsequently the dealer phoned me weekly, only to tell me that there was no news from Fender.
Time elapsed and I lost patience. So I set them a term: I would accept my guitar being repaired until March 15th, otherwise they would have to bring a completely new guitar. Finally I fetched my guitar with the neck replaced at March 14th. It took Fender 10 weeks to get it done. No one would expect them to do it within a couple of days. I was angry about the period of 6 or 7 weeks during which no useful information could be obtained from Fender. Why can???t they make a clear statement? A) We can make a replacement neck available within n weeks. B) We cannot make a neck available within a reasonable span of time. I guess, this is the reason why: Fender does not want a customer to charge a new instrument under warranty. This is what I did.
I wish to point out that I did not have any quarrel with my dealer. He felt ashamed by Fender???s proceeding and gave me a leather strap for free.

I have played guitar for 35 years. Over the years I played maybe a dozen of Strats, owned by colleagues ??? most of them for just half an hour. The JB-Strat is the first Fender guitar I own; I play it regularly for one or two hours a week. My main guitar is a Gibson ES 335. For practicing I use a small modelling amp, which is not a first class product. For rehearsals and gigs I use a good small tube amp. Usually I do not take the Fender to the big band. I have just played a handful of rehearsals with the JB-Strat so far. Whenever I jam with buddies, I play the Strat. This guitar will probably not become my main instrument, though. If it were lost or stolen, I would certainly buy another JB-Model. Despite of my misfortune I am proud to own a JB-Strat, simply because it is a very versatile guitar.
I do not try too much to sound like maestro Beck. Not to mention my limited ability??? I guess any experienced player knows, that you cannot make the individual sounds of a great artist a built-in feature of a guitar. I still enjoy exploring the JB-Strat further or just fooling around with its various sounds.
I have always liked the sounds of the Stratocaster. Now that I own one, I am stratified. (???stratified??? is a clever, but seldom used neologism in German. It evokes the notion of being electrified or infected by the Strat. The expression actually has no distinct meaning in German.)

The spec for this guitar has been listed many times before and can be seen on Fender's website. Mine is an olympic white one and brand new. Didn't fancy surf green at all.
I do have a Gibson Les Paul so I would have to say individual volume and tone pots would be good but then it would look silly and not at all like a Fender if it had 6 knobs on the front!

This thing really is quite. I have a Cornell class A amp and my Les Paul makes loads of noise. I was on the point of complaining when I got the Fender. It is so much better so it can't be my amp. I always thought it was the Fenders that were supposed to make the racket!
The sound is everything you want from a top quality Strat.
If I was good enough I'm sure I could make it sound like all the Strat guitar heroes of the past and present.

I am so sceptical of those reviewers here and on Musician's friend who give straight 10s for everything. Not only does it seem suspicious but it is also highly unlikely. I have to say though that my guitar was perfect in every way. Even the intonation was spot on. My local guitar Tech charges 40 pounds for a setup and this does not need one. I have had 3 previous Les Pauls and they are a joke. Gibson might tick a checklist to say it has been setup but I can't see it. The actions are set so high obviously because they don't want potential customers to hear any fret buzz. The intonation seems to be set by eye rather than ear or by tuner. Definitely 1-0 to Fender here. I can't vouch for every Jeff Beck model but mine WAS great.

Haven't had it all that long but everything is solid. Should hold up well.

I got it from a guy who imports them into the UK. He undercuts the shops by over 200 pounds or about $400. You don't get a warranty but what I got was a guitar that so many other people rate really highly as do I now.

I have been playing for years and years but had a period of 15+ years when I hardly bothered. Apparently in the UK there is a rapidly growing trend for middle aged blokes to buy guitars. It is a bit of a mid-life crisis thing. Either buy a motorbike and kill yourself or get a guitar and annoy the wife, kids, neighbours etc.
I can't rate this guitar highly enough but always beware that there might just be the odd lemon out there. With the quality as high as it is, Jeff must have got himself a job at the fender factory personally checking these. Cheers Jeff, very decent of you.
You should be rightly proud of the product that carries your name

First of all let me say that I'm not a big fan of white.....but OLYMPIC white is a creamy, sensational finish that simply oozes class, and I couldn't be happier with my choice over tacky Surf Green. My particular model was made this year I think (I got the Fender 60th annivesary sticker in the case), and imo it's a work of art. The brushed aluminium look of the Schaller locking tuners look great, as does the rosewood fretboard which on mine has that lovely melted dark chocolate look about it. The neck is a bit (but not a lot) thicker than my mex Fat Strat, and the medium-jumbo frets took some getting used to (the Mex has skinny frets), but now I prefer them. Add to that the LSR roller nut, Dual-Coil ceramic noiseless pick-ups, a tone control for both mid AND neck pick-ups (the same control does both individually) and wrap it up in a wonderful tweed case and you have the astonishing Jeff Beck Stratocaster. What more could you want?

I love Strats because they can pretty much do anything, and this model is no exception. I play it through a Laney LC50 tube combo at the moment with absolutely no effects at all, but I do want to step up to a Twin Reverb in the near future. I can get country twang, classic rock, dirty funk, sublime hendrix tones, and even very passable jazz. You name it, it's all here for the taking if your chops are up to it. The noiseless pick-ups have plenty of power, and whether playing clean or distorted, this guitar will be with you every step of the way.

I ordered this from a store in Sydney, and received it in rural South Australia 4 days later in great condition (kudos to Venue Music - cheers boys!). Though it was out of tune (hardly unexpected), the guys did a great job with the set-up and it has been a very playable instrument from the get-go. I don't like 9's, so I got them to place 10's on before shipping, and block the trem (I don't use it anyway, it still has the silver sticker over the tremolo.....well, vibrato...arm hole), and my new strat and I are forging a wonderful relationship that will last a long time. Like many others I get annoyed for the first 10 minutes, ripping that bloody sticky plastic coating off, but meh, at least the scratch plate is pristine when you get it!

I've had this guitar but a few weeks now, and I don't gig. But I believe this particular instrument would stand up to any punishment thrown its way. It just has a really solid feel (and a decent amount of weight) to it. Strap-lock buttons are a nice touch, and they seem solid enough.

Never had to bother Fender, so they don't bother me.

I've been playing about 16 years now, and I've had a few guitars. This is the most I've ever spent on a guitar, and I don't regret a single cent. I first tried one out at a guitar show in Melbourne earlier this year (which is why I want a Twin, as played it through one, and it was sublime), and was instantly smitten with the FAT tones of the JB over a USA '62 reissue I was really enjoying before picking the JB up. After A/B'ing both of the Strats I was most interested in (in my price range), the Jeff Beck was simply too good, and now that I have one I am one happy camper.

Viva la Fender! :)

lsr roller nut - 4 lace sensors w/ coil split - locking tuners - nice fender / g+g rectangular case w/ seperate compartment to hold included case candy [fender strap , cord ,extra trem springs , case keys , manuals ] - hefty neck feels good / takes 3 minutes to get used to and then you are flying - easy to play and i have small hands . low string height w/ no buzzing .

2001 jeff beck - can get any sound you want within reason if you spend time to find it - then its your responsibility to remember the settings - lace sensors - quiet even when standing next to the amp - tone is a personal choice - close your eyes and listen -

came with excellent setup - i tweaked it a little and its as good as any guitar gets regardless of price - everything works properly and looks good -fit and finish is excellent++++ - that soft pale yellow color w/ a poly finish - looks killer and is durable and easy to maintain - for you experts that have to have a nitro lacquer finish , i'll take the ease of maintenence and durability of fender poly finish - if you are to carry on and orate about the virtues of how the wood is free to vibrate w/ the thinner finish , you can stop right there ---- the pickups sense the vibration of the metal strings in a magnetic field - add to the fact that you are sending that signal to an screaming amp w/ pedals /effects and tweaking tone knobs / equalizers and the like and then you are going to be serious and tell me that you can hear the lacquer over the poly ??? get real -- its like sipping wine while blindfolded - the hype of drinking a $300 / bottle of wine makes it taste better than a $15 bottle ???? do the pepsi challenge - you might prefer the $15 /bottle in reality -

stays in tune w/ locking tuners and lsr roller nut - fender tremolo easy to adjust - after you change strings just once , you will swear locking tuners should be mandatory on all guitars - fender quality parts - fender durability - nuff said

never had to deal w/ fender

been playing 40 years - have many , many guitars - way way more than i need - 335 gibsons , les pauls ,cs336 gibson , sg , telecasters ,strats , carvins , b c rich - some early / vintage / some recent / most pure investment - but with all these guitars/ experience came some knowledge / wisdom . most people will become brand/model loyal for a number of personal reasons - some just like the hype - but when you have a significant # of guitars you get a real chance to take some time to a/b test [the pepsi challenge ]. i can truthfully say that if anyone sat down and took the time to truly play this j/beck strat , there is no way you could fault fit , finish , playability , durability , versatility in musical expression .

Well I got rid of the lace pickups.
Other thank that, frets-finish-tuners, all solid as a rock.

I decided to write a followup from my review of March 1998. I think it a good thing to do, to let people know how the item held up physically and in performance.


Sound 10, now that I got rid of the lace pickups

The tops.

Action and fit still the tops after 8 years.

Rock solid indeed

Nope. Never had to call Fender

This is the best of all fender signatures. Period.

Extensively listed in many reviews! Made in the US, 22 frets, Olympic white, S/S/S Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pup configuration, maple neck/rosewood fingerboard, sculpted neck heel, American Std 2 pivot point trem, locking tuners.

This is probably the most versatile Stratocaster I've ever owned! it can
go from pristine bell-tone strat sounds to rip-roaring crunch! The SCN pups deliver this without any 60hz hum! Sustains beautifully too!

Great factory setup, world-class craftsmanship! The neck is a bit chunkier than on an Am Std Strat; but I prefer it.

I haven't gigged it yet, but, it feels real solid, should be a great stage workhorse!

Haven't dealt with them

The many wonderful reviews i've read on this site were partially responsible for my desicion to purchase this wonderful instrument; I'm so glad I did! If you are looking for a great playing Stratocaster, this is it! you won't be disappointed!

My first Jeff Beck Strat is a 1991 model. The main feature about this guitar that I like is the big, fat neck. Secondly, are the Lace Sensor pickups, which are very quiet during quiet passages, and very articulate in their sound reproduction. The locking tuners take all the stretching and dive-bombing I can throw at it, and still hold the strings in tune (D'Addario 10's..since you asked). The strings do not stick in the nut at all.

This guitar fits my many styles, from blues, to heavy rock, to spacey Pink Floyd-ish sounds. I can get the classic single-coil Fender sound as well as the thick humbucker sound with the bridge pickup set for both coils. By far, this is most versatile guitar I have ever owned. There is nothing about this guitar that I do not like. The sustain of the guitar, regardless of pickup selection or volume of amp, is just incredible.
I play a Fender Prosonic and Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and often switch from clean to dirty to full-tilt overdrive. This guitar sounds great with any of my amp settings.

The setup on this guitar was great right out of the factory. Very nice action, smooth and easy to play. No bad spots on the frets or edges, and no dead-out spots anywhere on the neck. There is nothing "off" about this guitar at all. The finish is perfect, and the neck feels great, top to bottom. The 1991 and 1992 models are so close, that I can't tell the difference with my eyes closed. The 1994 has just a very slightly smaller neck profile, as did all of them after 1993.

This is without a doubt, the most reliable and durable guitar I've ever owned. I rehearse and play out with this as my main instrument, and have for 11 years now. The finish is still in-tact, with no signs of wearing. Everything about it is solid. I depend on this as my main guitar, however, I'm prone to break strings from time to time, so I'm never without a backup. And, my backup is another Jeff Beck Strat. Both of them are. I use a 1991 as my main, a 1992 as backup for string breaks, and a 1994 set to alternate tunings for some original tunes.

I have never had to deal with Fender Customer support about this guitar. I have dealt with them on other issues, and they were very responsive.

I've been playing for over 30 years. The Jeff Beck Strat is the best electric guitar I have ever owned. I'm not the biggest fan of Jeff Beck, even though I respect him very much. So, the namesake was not the draw for me. It was first the big neck, then the Lace Sensors. I have found that this model is extremely consistent out of the factory. More so than any other model from any other manufacturer that I have tried. I own Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez electrics. The Jeff Beck Strat is the best electric I've ever owned. If I lost one, I'd run right out and buy another.