Fender Eric Clapton Signature Strat

people did fi nd the original Beck model
to their liking, and others struggled
with it because they wanted to be like
their hero; but the general consensus
was that it was a lump too far.
So on this latest incarnation (and the
later standard Beck models), out goes
the huge ‘U’ of the old model and in
comes a wholly manageable ‘C’ shape.
Like the Clapton, Beck’s guitar has 22
frets, but here Jeff has opted for a bit
more meat. As a player renowned for
his fretboard antics, it’s understandable
that he would want the extra bending
and vibrato facility afforded by more
metal under the fi ngers.
The Beck also features a select alder
body and maple neck – this time
capped with a rosewood board. Other
differences include the modern, two-
point fl oating vibrato with stainless
steel saddles, locking Schaller tuners
and an LSR roller nut; a system that
provides virtually friction-free
operation for Jeff’s amazing whammy
antics. One further concession to
playability is a contoured heel area for
extra top-end access.
Again, Lace Sensors have given way
to Fender’s ‘stacked humbucker’
Ceramic Noiseless pickups. Legend has
it that, when asked what he’d like in his
original signature Strat, apart from the
big neck Jeff asked for fake pole-pieces
to be painted on to the Lace Sensors of
a Strat Plus. Doubtless he’ll be pleased
with the cosmetics of his latest model.
What a great neck. The thick
rosewood board, 9.5-inch radius and
meaty frets make for blues-rock
heaven. Big bends, heavy vibrato and
speed are all catered for superbly. The
set-up is dead right, and this extends to
the wonderfully in-tune vibrato system.
Pull up and the top three strings give
a semitone, tone and minor third
respectively, making some interesting
pedal steel effects possible, while
pressing down on the bar allows the
kind of control that Beck’s playing
demands. It’s a stunning player.
Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat
Rory’s brother Donal took his priceless
guitar to LAX airport where the Custom
Shop’s Mike Eldred took possession of
it. Mike, along with John Cruz and John
English, then carefully dis-assembled
the guitar, examined every facet,
measured every detail and Cruz built
the original prototype.
Only those very close to Rory would
know just how much modifi cation had
been done to the original guitar, but it
was certainly a work in progress. Under
the scratchplate, wood had been
removed and replaced; the tuners were
a mis-matched group of fi ve Sperzels
and a Gotoh; one of the 12th-fret ‘clay’
markers had been replaced by a white
plastic dot; the selector switch’s
mounting screws were fl at-heads out of
character with the rest of the guitar;
the scratchplate was cracked in places;
and there are letters scratched into the
neck, behind the nut.
Essentially this is the Relic to end all
Relics, but otherwise it’s a stock early
sixties-style Strat, with small
headstock, three-ply scratchplate,
a trio of specially designed single-coil
pickups and the original three-way
selector switch (not the fi ve-way stated
in Fender’s spec sheet).
Like both Clapton and Beck Strats,
the Rory Tribute is made from select
alder, while the neck is a sixties-style
maple affair with a deliciously dark
‘slab’ rosewood fi ngerboard.
In places the ageing does look a little
affected: the individual ‘islands’ of
sunburst seem too clean-cut around the
edges, and where bare wood meets
fi nish at the heel of the neck it seems
obviously sanded away. But that’s being
very picky. In every other sense it’s an
astonishing piece of work, and even
from a couple of feet away is utterly
convincing.
Silky smooth and as drag-free as the
Clapton, this guitar also has the modern
9.5-inch fi ngerboard radius, even
though Rory’s would have originally
have been 7.25 inches. This simulates
the neck planing that happens when a
guitar is refretted – and Rory’s had a
few of those over the years! These large
FENDER JEFF BECK
SIGNATURE STRAT
As Clapton except…
NUT/WIDTH: LSR roller/
42mm
FINGERBOARD:
Rosewood with white
plastic dots and 241mm
(9.5-inch) radius
FRETS: 22, medium-
heavy
HARDWARE: Fender
twin-post fl oating vibrato
system with stainless
steel saddles, Fender/
Schaller locking tuners,
angled jack receptacle:
aged chrome
ELECTRICS: Three
Fender dual-coil Ceramic
Noiseless pickups,
master volume, two tone
controls (neck, middle
and bridge) and fi ve-way
selector
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.35/7
RANGE OPTIONS: See
Clapton. The standard
non-Custom Shop Jeff
Beck Strat costs £1,299.
Others in this standard
Artist range include the
Buddy Guy (£1,499);
a cool Mark Knopfl er
(£1,499) with ’57 ash
body and ’62 rosewood
neck; the brand new Eric
Johnson (£1,549), with
lightweight body,
specially wound pickups
and thin nitro-cellulose
fi nish; scalloped-neck
Yngwie Malmsteen
(£1,399), and the SRV
(£1,399). Some of these
are offered in the Mex-
made Artist series too:
the Buddy Guy ‘polka dot
special’ (£499), the
Robert Cray (£499) with
hardtail bridge and the
Jimmy Vaughan Tex-Mex
Strat (£599)
LEFT-HANDERS: No
FINISHES: Olympic
white and Surf green
JEFF BECK STRAT TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Playability
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED Delicious and usable vibrato
system; playable neck; build quality
■ WE DISLIKED Expensive compared to
regular Artist model
What a great neck. The Beck’s thick
rosewood board, 9.5-inch radius and meaty
frets make for blues-rock heaven
Schaller locking pegs
should help keep the
Beck in tune – whatever
you get up to
The Beck features
an LSR roller nut
JUNE 2005 113
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