A SOLID-BODY ELECTRIC GUITAR, CUSTOM SHOP STRATOCASTER FOR JEFF BECK, BY TODD KRAUSE

According to the Fender Custom Shop specification sheet, this custom Jeff Beck Stratocaster was ordered for Jeff Beck in 2009 with an alder body in Arctic White finish and an aged single ply pickguard, presumably for a more vintage look than Jeff’s usual 3 ply pickguards. Jeff kept this Strat at his East Sussex estate for home use and evidently played it often, as the guitar shows significant playing wear. When not on tour or working on hot rods, Jeff would practice for long periods every day. ‘I find it inexcusable not to get up and play,’ he told Rolling Stone’s David Fricke in 2010. ‘I’ve got a guitar on every sofa, leaning up against walls, telling me, “Don’t forget what’s about to happen.” That’s the way it’s been for 35 years.’ Jeff was photographed with this guitar at The Worx Studio in London by longtime collaborator Ross Halfin for a cover feature in the August 2016 issue of Japan’s Young Mates Music Player magazine.