Fender Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster

Midnight Purple 1994 model that I have owned now for about 3 years. Same features as listed in other reviews here for original Beck signature model. I will say the infamous "Fat" neck, isn't THAT Fat. I have average size hands and personally I like the way it feels. Has some meat to it! I really use the the TBX tone control and switching capability between single and humbucker bridge pickup much more than I originally expected. Can get a very wide variety of tones with this configuration. Oh - and it stays in tune even with excessive wammy use.

I have played/owned a few strats that have a truer strat tone (particularly in the phase positions), but none with such a variety. The original lace sensor humbucker was replaced with JB Seymore Duncan and it screams! You can kick it in and use TBX control to get something similar to a Les Paul tone.

I had this set up to my own taste by local shop. Action is great, but fatter neck may not be to everyones liking?? Very player friendly for me.

The guitar has a very sturdy feel to it. It's heavier than ohter strats I have and has solid construction. Only downside I have had at all is I tend to break strings more than I would like (may try graph tech saddles), but keep in mind I am a heavy string bender.

I have been playing in a variety of settings for over 30 years now. Got my first strat 26 years ago, have owned 7 different ones and played countless others over the years. I would have to say that this has been my favorite. Only one close is my '65, but overall this just has so much more flexability (plus I don't like to gig with that 65 anymore!!). I'm so convinced that this is some of Fenders best non-custom shop work that I plan to buy a JB custom.

Mines a white one - well I say white - it's more lovely than that!! Just a bit whiter than the 74 transaparent blonde start I had. It's a lovely iconic look that contrasts nicely with the white pickguard which complements the cream pick up covers and knobs. LOoks lovely next to my equally as coooooool American series chrome red/maple fingerboard/EMG DG20 loaded axe. Hmmm a nice pair ...

You know the spec - if not check out the previous reviews and/or the Fender website.


It was delivered 2 days ago.

Since 1976 I've owned 6 strats and they were all different from each other - sound, neck, finish, playability. THis one is a GREAT one.

It obviously sounds darker than my EMG equipped maple fingerboard strat and it has less output. Thats why I bought it. For what it offers. It's more of a classic strat vibe (less harsh though and surprisinlgy mellow) than the EMG loaded one and I love em both to bits.

The Jeff beck one really sings on each of the slector positions - a lovely woody tone - quite mellow for a strat and the noiseless pickups do a terrific job.

If you only buy one strat save up and buy this one. Sorry - it's subjective, what suits me may not suit you, but at least try one.

Bought new on Ebay saving #300 on rrp - one of those Waynes world moments - you will be mine - and now you are.. ha ha giggle giggle. No regrets despite the slight risk I was taking buying an axe I'd not seen or played. THe photos were big though and I could see all the details before I purchased.

This may vary between specimens - so check yours out.

Out of the box I needed 20 minutes to adjust the tension on the tremolo - to get it floating for subtle but essential to me (and Jeff) up bends. Also adjusted the action on the low E which was buzzing and sticking in the roller nut. Fixed that. The strings felt like new ones so after having stretched em in the tuning became as stable as any strat I've owned. 8/10 for this as I was expecting slightly more in the way of whammy gymnastic copeability on his one but I guess whammy abuse will send a strat out of pitch. Subtle use no probs. I used to have an Ibanez equipped locking trem job. Wouldnt stay in tune as well as my Strats so I sold I part chopped it for a Tele. Sorry, off on a tangent. This one is the most stable strat I've owned. Not perfect though.

Intonation was spot on, neck as it should be, tight neck/body joint, lovely locking tuners though I wish they'd come nickel plated for a more vintage vibe.

Action spot on - lowish with no buzzes. Lovely neck, fingerboard and frets!!!! C shaped neck neck slightly (only slightly) fatter than American series. Doenst slow me down and I love the support it gives - less fatiguing for me than a slim neck as it offers support between your thumb and first finger. Thin necks give me cramps but if you prefer thin necks then great!

Pickups well balanced as supplied. Adjusting is a doddle anyway.

Finish flawless. Overall a superb job Fender.

If it lives up to the standards already set by my other strats this one will out live me....

Never had a fualt on any of the 6 Strats I've had. The strat is a professional tool - a relibale work house.

Never needed them.

Been playing for 31 years since I was 17.

My list of gear includes high quality valve amp/cab, 2 US strats and Tele, loads of quality/boutique pedals. Depending on how good your fingers are you could make this axe sound good with a pawn shop practice amp - through great gear it will sound great, through awesome gear it will sound awesome. But, at the end of the day its in your hands. For a skilled craftsman this is a professional tool that will deliver. You don't have to be Micheal Schumaker to appreciate a Ferrari though.

To me, in 2006, Strats dont get better than this. If you like Srats you must give one of these a blast.

Took me years to finally get around to buying the JB... drooled for years... always loved the look of a white strat with rosewood board, the promise exceeded my expectation. It was worth the wait which perhaps makes the final purchase all that sweeter. Man it's sweet...

Nice one Fender.

Any questions fire away!!

2003 Surf Green, over Alder body. Looks great. Vintage noiseless pickups S/S/S. LSR roller nut. Schaller locking tuners. C-shaped neck (thicker than current American Strat. Tweed Case, strap, cord

Great tone. Pickups are a little hotter than the SCN pickups in my 2004 50th Ann Deluxe Strat. Still sounds like a Strat, nice quack, cluck but a little more gain. Bridge pu not as shrill as most other strats

This was a NOS 2003 model (bought in late 2005). Needed a good setup. Neck needed adjustment. Can't blame Fender for this one, it had been sitting in the shop for 2 years. Guitar is flawless. Not a scratch on it. neck joint tight, frets well dressed. Neck is to die for. Best neck on any strat I have tried. Neck is same shape as an American just a little beefier. I liked the Clapton V-neck, but this one is better. I have fallen out of love with the skinny C-shaped neck on my 50th Deluxe Strat. Aged knobs and PU's look great. Basically is a 62 Reissue with bigger frets, locking tuners, hotter PUs and the LSR roller nut. SWEET.

It's a Strat. I could stand on it and it wouldn't break. Does not feel flimsy. Would likely survive a nuclear holocost.

Never had an issue I needed to call Fender on. My 2 other Fenders (Strat, Tele) have served me well, I would imagine this one would also.

Played as a teenager. picked it up again about 5 years ago. I have 3 Les Pauls, an American Tele, 50th Anniv Strat deluxe. Ovation acoustic and the Jeff Beck. Play through a Gibson GA 15-RV and a Cyber-Twin at home. Jam with a Classic 30 when I get together with friends.

2005 Model, features descirbed well by other users, this is olympic white finished, w/passive hot noiseless pups. Moderate weight, rather strat typical. The case is fabulous... standard tweed magic!!!
And a full candy came with: Strap (extremely nice for Fender!!!), cable, polish kit, springs & allens, booklet... You know what that is: Little, usual but also useful things...

The acoustic sound of the axe surprises already before you plug in: Punch, ful attack, and great low end... I play .011, so the volume of the bottom end is high.
Plugged in, the initial sound is quite nice, full and brillant. No mud sounds here, the pups deliver. Though, the level was a little lower than my average axe level (the rest of my strats are either EMG equipped or do have passive pups - Kinmans & DiMarzios - with a linear preamp to compensate level). Also, I thought that the 250K pots could be replaced, in order to get more punch and high-end from the pups. So, I did what I always do, took all electrics (pots & capacitor) out and put in a linear pre-amp and a 25k Vol Pot after it, next to the output. The result is tremendous: The pups now run without load (as the vol pot is placed after the pre-amp) and they are brillant, full, and have dynamics to die for... Now, that's a real modern sounding strat, and something that I needed, since the rest of my strats do sound more vintage oriented. Obviously the wood plays its game here, especially the neck, with its small, and thin headstock, that supports harmonics...
I could also simply change the 250k pots to 500k, but I needed significantly more output level, so chose the pre-amp solution...
Last-not-least I installed the possibility to switch bridge-neck pups, or even all 3 pups together. Now the guitar is a real flexible one, and delivers many useful sounds...

As a general note: I really don't understand why people, when they are not 100% satisfied with their sound, immediately change pups... If you don't replace stock pots (first of all), with higher value ones, you'll never know what your pup(s) can deliver... Stock pots usually vary enormously in their values (I measured 210K on factory Strats), and that's a very bad thing, cause they usually deeply cut high end... Try higher value pots, and/or even a linear pre-amp to enhance the level a little bit, insead of running to high-level pups, that may not have the sound that you want... If you cannot do it by yourself, trust a guitar tech. It'll anyway cost less than a new pup..

The rating here is for the sound after the (small) mod's I've made.. and it's definitely a 10!!!

This is where the guitar really shines... Everything mechanical is PERFECT on this guitar. Body/Neck joint, lock tuners, LSR nut, the - modern - american tremolo, frets, even Schaller strap locks are standard here..
Tremolo plays like butter, and, in combination with .011s, there is no out-of-tune here. The bosy finish is AAA. The neck feels wonderful, is one of the best strat necks I have played on. And the improved joint to the body allows high fret action on the fly...
I could describe here for days, instead of that, a clear "10" !!!

There is no doubt that this guitar came to stay and be played over years... It's a good, far above the average US's, strat, and, if maintained well, it will give endless pleasure!!!!

Not dealt with'em, but not the best words heard !

25 years playing, many axes, rather traditional: Les Paul, Fender Tele, but mainly strats (Rory Gallagher, YJM, vintage reissues, and self assembled). I am guitar tech, so I modify my axes by myself to the best they can give...
Generally I love this JB axe... Nice modern strat, allows great tremolo action.. Not that much more to write here... the only thing I wish it had, is better (or higher value) pots... But even so, its a fabulous one!!!

1991 Made in America Jeff Beck Sig Strat, Seafoam Green.
22-frets, 1 volume, 2 tone controls (1 with tbx), 4 gold fender-lace sensor pickups, S/S/H or S/S/S (bridge is coil tappable humbucker), Fat Maple neck with rosewood finger board and jumbo frets. wilkinson roller nut, sperzel locking tuners, original tweed hs case, fender strap, all tools and booklets.

Sounds great for everything that i play, (from Vai to Hendrix to Wylde)
usually use with a EQ - DS-1 - Vox Wah - Screamin' Blues - Uni-Vibe - Fender Pro-Junior Amp.
Really quiet, even on single coils, but silent on humbucker.
Can give whatever sound i want, from a SRV-style dirt to the clean bell-like sound of "Little Wing" to the chunking rhythm of Zakk Wylde

Everything's great, but i didn't get it straight from the factory. i got it from a local music shop, never played, and set up by the owner of the shop. No noticeable flaws, and the action is perfect, it's low but doesn't buzz, and it lets the harmonics ring beautifully.

I'm not too sure about the reliablilty, since i haven't gigged with this one yet, but i hope to find out soon.

Again, not too sure, just recently purchased the guitar.

I LOVE THIS AXE! I would definately replace it if it was stolen. It is a huge step up from my Squier strats. and i absolutely love the fat neck. This is about one of the pimpest guitars i've ever seen, and it's sound and playablilty can back up this info.

The model I have was built this year. It has all the bells and whistles as per the previous posters on this site and the stand out features are definitely the neck, tremelo system & noiseless pickups.
I bought mine in Olympic White which looks more of a cream colour than any photo's you see in mag's and on the net - it's a beauty.I have given it a 10 because there is nothing else that you could add to the guitars features to improve it.
I traded an Ibanez Jem against this and I couldn't be happier. The Jem was nice but the locking trem on it was a total dog which never stayed in tune for me, whereas this system with the locking tuners can take serious abuse without all the hassle - it's brilliant.

I mostly play blues / rock music and being a strat it covers all the basses and does it really well. The neck pickup is amazing on this guitar. It's a really full sound and even though I am using very little in the way of effects at present it sustains brilliantly even when played clean ; this is probably down to the neck as well as the pickup. This guitar can give you crystal clean sounds to dirty full on rock. It's not too bright and has a very full sound without being muddy and imprecise. The pickup's aren't entirely noiseless but this could be the amp as opposed to the guitar - in any case it's more than quiet enough for me.

I checked out all the nuts and bolts on this before playing it properly, there wasn't one thing out of place and the set up from the factory was spot on. It's been fitted with 9's but I will replace them with 10's. The finish on this guitar is spotless but then again it should be considering that it retails @ ?2,000.
Nothing loose or not in proper working order and set up really well - can't fault it. The vintage case supplied is very, very cool - no stickers going on that baby,for sure !

Fender are the best selling guitar maker on the planet and have been for a long time now. One of the main reasons is that they build their instruments to last and I am sure that this guitar is no exception to that. The finish on mine was perfect and definitely this guitar is dependable. If I was gigging , I would still bring a backup guitar for broken strings perhaps but that's it.

Never dealt with them but one gripe I have is that it took seven weeks from the time I ordered the guitar from Fender Europe until delivery in Dublin. It was a long wait but definitely worth it!
I doubt I will need to contact Fender any time soon regarding the Beck and probably never. I'm only giving Fender a 5 for keeping me waiting.

I have been playing for 24 years now and I know what I want in a guitar. I took a chance when I bought the Beck because no music store in Dublin had one that I could check out. Everybody I spoke to advised against buying one because of the 'HUGE' neck which couldn't be further from the truth. The neck on this is exceptional. It's not small by any means but it is very manageable and really well finished. I haven't got big hands ( average if even ! ) and I have no difficulty getting around on this guitar. The problem is that people are so used to playing guitars with skinny, small necks that when a truly decent neck is put in their hands they freak out, because they can actually feel the neck and let me tell you folks, it feels f**king great !
I knew I had to have this guitar because of it's excellent features / hardware and the neck is a stunner. Do not believe the bullsh*t you read or hear second hand - go check it for yourself ( if u can ! ), you won't regret it. I got a very good deal on trade thanks to the guys in Musician Inc in Dublin, who couldn't have been more helpful and consider myself to be very lucky indeed. I did try the signature Clapton but hated the skinny frets / maple neck and I also played an American Deluxe ( not enough tone ) and a Music Man of some description which retails at 2,600 euros ( very overrated )- JB leaves them gasping in it's wake. I got lucky - seriously lucky!

Alder body; maple 9.5" radius C-shaped neck; rosewood finger-board; medium jumbo frets; 25.5" scale length; contoured heel for easier access to the upper frets; chrome Fender/Schaller Deluxe locking machine heads; 2-point synchronized tremolo with stainless steel saddles; three dual-coil ceramic Vintage Noise-less pickups; passive electronics; 5-position switch; master-volume; two tone controls; aged knobs and pickup covers.

This guitar simply sounds amazing. It still retains that traditional style Strat sound, but with higher output and no hum or buzz. Compared to my ?62 re-issue Strat the output is higher, with more attack and slightly brighter which really helps it cut through the mix, but it?s still unmistakably a Strat. Awesome.

Beautifully built, and setup very well straight out of the box with 10?s and a nice action and no fret-buzz. The tremolo was setup with a slight angle off the body to enable both slight pull-ups and dives, and with three springs in the cavity it was very sensitive (apparently this is how Jeff likes his too, but I?m not sure?). I usually use 11?s and four springs so my tremolo sits flush with the body and has a lot of resistance so it doesn?t go out of pitch when finger-bending on the fretboard. Going to 10?s and three tremolo springs was a slight challenge playing-wise due to the very sensitive nature of the tremolo and the slight change of pitch when finger-bending. But that?s more a case of personal preference than a complaint, and I don?t think I?ll change it.
The neck has quite a bit of meat to it compared to my ?62, and especially against other Strats I?ve played, but it seems perfect to me and was very easy to get used too. After a bit of playing I think it?s the best neck I?ve ever encountered on a Strat, and has more sustain than any other Strat I?ve played. The contoured heel is a great feature and feels very comfortable and helpful when playing higher up the neck. The body seems beautifully built and finished, and looks great in the Olympic White, and has a fair bit of weight, but not uncomfortable at all. In short, awesome.

It?s a Fender! This Strat feels really solid, with a chunkier neck and a fair bit of weight compared to other new Strats. I don?t expect any problems at all, and never have done with my Fenders in the past.

Never dealt with Fender, and don?t expect to.

Ok so here goes my rant about this guitar! I?ve been wanting to try one of these Strats out for over a year and the first one I ever saw in person I ended up getting after about 2 minutes playing time! My main guitar until now has been a 1988 62? re-issue Strat, which I?ve setup with 11?s and had re-fretted with medium-jumbos. I wanted a guitar that addressed the main short-falls of the ?62, and on paper at least, the Beck Strat was the only one for me. I love my ?62, but wanted something with medium-jumbos standard, hotter and quieter pickups, a tremolo that better holds tune, yet something that still retains the traditional/vintage vibe and has a decent size neck.
After ringing around all the shops no one ever seemed to have the JB Strat in stock as they cost a fortune over here and the demand isn?t as high as say the Clapton or SRV models. They didn?t want to order one in for me to try out unless I guaranteed to buy it either. Although I was nearly certain it would be the right guitar for me, I couldn?t bring myself to order one in without at least playing the thing first. So anyway, I went to the Sydney guitar expo joking about maybe seeing one, and there it was sitting there. The ?tunnel vision? started and I was having flashbacks of that scene is Wayne?s World where he says; ?It will be mine, oh yes?!
I ran over, plugged it in, played it for two minutes, and then asked the guy what his best price was, and that was it, sold! Straight away I felt I?d found my long-lusted-after guitar for-life, and now after playing it more both at gigs, rehearsals, and even un-plugged around the house, I know I?ve found ?the one?. The sound is great, the body rock-solid and sustains forever, the neck chunky yet super comfortable and fast, the tremolo stable under all the abuse I throw at it, the workmanship and finish are superb.
This is now my main guitar, and I can?t see myself buying anything else (famous last words!). I also own and play, in addition to my ?62 re-issue, a 1981 Gibson ES 335, 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom, 1999 PRS McCarty, 2000 Martin 000-28, 1999 Maton ECW80C, 1979 Takamine 12 string, and an Admira Classical guitar. I have countless pedals, and as for amps I have a Soldano Decatone 100w head and quad, Soldano Astroverb 2*12 combo, and a Soldano Atomic 16 1*12 combo. I?m pretty serious about my tone, and I?m totally happy with this guitar. Although I?m a huge Beck fan, that?s not the reason for this purchase and I got this guitar purely because it?s the right guitar for what I personally need in an instrument. Over the last 13 years of playing I?ve gotten closer to knowing exactly what I do and don?t need in a guitar and this is it, I wouldn?t change anything, and it?s the best guitar I?ve ever played, let alone owned. It really is that good!

2004 USA Beck
Standard (22 fret) rosewood fingerboard on maple
Vol, 2 tone, and a 5-way switch
"Hot" Noiseless single coil pickups
All passive electronics
Dual edged fulcrum tremolo
Locking Sperzel tuner heads
and an LSR roller nut
Came with case, strap, straplocks, cable

I play anything from jazz to nu-metal, and this is the strat that can do it all. I use a variety of equipment, from a Mesa Nomad 60, to a Fender Cyber Deluxe, to a Marshall mini-stack. For effects I have been using all Visual Sound pedals (Jekyl & Hyde Overdrive/Distortion, Route 66 Compressor & Overdrive and the H2O chorus & delay).
This guitar is uber-quiet! My normal gig is on a small platform where there are flourescent lights right above and a television directly to my left. This guitar does not pickup ANY of the interference! My buddy who has some pretty nice Les Pauls always is dealing with 60-cycle hum.
The other amazing thing is I can get great controllable feedback from this guitar at anytime I want it! I thought for sure the noiseless properties of the pickups would hamper this, but it did not!
This is a strat on steroids. It is brighter than the normal strat, but roll off the tone and volume a little and you get closer to a classic strat sound. This guitar is fairly versatile, I bought it as a compliment to my Paul Reed Smith CE24.

I bought this guitar 3 months used. The previous owner hardley played it (the sticker over the tremolo arm hole is still there).
The pickups were all adjusted to the "factory suggestion" and I have not any occassion to change it as yet.
The biggest flaw was the frets did not seem filed on the neck sides. A local luthier said it looked like the fretboard shrunk a little and caused this, but it was no big thing to fix.
All other parts were snugly fit together with no gaps, bumps or other cosmetic issues.

This guitar has withstood about two months of travel and fairly heavy play hasn't gone out of tune on me yet.
The hardware is a matted-chrome finish, (less suseptable to fingerprints) and is built rock solid.
I took off the included strap buttons and replaced with my leather DiMarzio locking strap. I have had no problems with "pull out".
I have done the gig 5 times in the past 8 months (including practice) and haven't broken a string the guy I bought it from left on it!
(He says they are the originals from when he bought it).

I have been a player for 17 years, and have had the pleasure of managing a guitar shop for 3 of the first 10 years I played.
My current rig incudes the mentioned Visual Sound pedals, an ART attack S28 carbon fiber amp with a 2x8 extensoin, a Fender Cyber Deluxe, a PRS CE 24,and a Tacoma C1C Chief acoustic/electric.
I have wanted to own a strat for over 10 years, and owned a couple custom strat types built by myself and others. None of those or others that I tried ever had the feel or resonance this guitar had from the first 30 minutes I played it. I bought this through a guitar shop worker who was selling it as a courtesy to a good customer. I had played at least a dozen other strats at this dealer in the past two years prior to playing this one.
I've wondered what it would be like to put a TBX tone control on this guitar for the neck pickup and maybe change over the mid pickup tone to control the bridge, but I think I might just buy another set of pickups and all to make a "hot swap-able" system. I just like this guitar the way it is too much-seafoam green and all.

This is a 2005 Custom Shop model, received earlier this week. As with the other strats, it has one volume, two tone controls and includes the noiseless pickups. Locking tuners, LSR roller nut, medium jumbo frets and great bridge/tremelo system. See the Fender.com site for the rest.

This one is said to be set up exactly the way Mr. Beck likes his. Very quiet but will absdolutely growl when I want to. I am not disappointed.

Guitar set up nicely right out of the box. Excellent workmanship, no complaints.

This would withstand live playing, yet mine will not leave the home studio. The custom model will outlive me.

Fender is fine, never had a problem with them.

I have played since 8 years of age - 40 years later I finally get the best imaginable strat. I'd buy another if it was stolen. Compared to the stock Clapton strat (I have this one too), this custom model feels much better and is more responsive. I own over a dozen good guitars, but this one will likely become my favorite.

Okay, I got this guitar for two reason, the huge neck and the dual sensor pick-ups. It's a 91 and I have done some mods to it. First I ripped out the tone controls, then I took out the 5 way and but in a 3 and wird it like a tele leaving the "coil tap" button alone. the middle pickup doesn't work.

With the tone gone I've found the pickups didn't sound so flat like some have reported. I don't miss the tone controls one bit and I find this set-up great for my needs anyway.

I play mostly classic rock and a little country(I want to be Joe Pass but I learned long ago that's never going to happen) I play through two fender vibro-kings. The only pedals I use is a wah, extreme effects and an ab switch. THE BEST SETUP IT THE WORLD! Maybe not. If I could get away with it plugging right into the amp I would. I hate band leaders.

The huge neck does seem to add tone but that could just be me.

It's a strat!

The neck is the best feature on this guitar, it's huge and I love it.
I went out and got another 91 in seaform. My first is purple. What can I say it's a strat and shouldn't every body have one, no, maybe, yes?

By the way, I've seen early JB necks that have needed fret jobs go for over $500 dollars on ebay.