I just watched Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scott's, he plays a cream colored strat ( I guess his signature model) for the whole show, a phenomenal show, tone etc,. What tone and technique. Composition, taste, superb.
I know there is some video magic, but you don't see him retuning etc., one song after the other. I think this is a must have for any strat player, plus a few guest appearances. Sorry if this is posted in the wrong spot.
peace
Beck's guitar never goes out of tune. It wouldn't dare!
POO DAT!!!
It has locking tuners and a roller nut that helps it stay intune and its setup correctly.
Maybe he oils it
I wonder what pickups he has on his strat?
Suppossedly he uses Fender Hot Noiseless Stratocaster pickups. He went to Fender and requested they make something to his liking and that's what they've agreed on. I know they come standard on the Jeff Beck model too.Originally Posted by Bo McCarthy
Hot Noiseless are on the signature Strat - the ones on the Strat he uses are reportedly wound by John Suhr. As I recall, they are stacks and wound to be very dark sounding.
Last edited by LReese; 04-19-2009 at 04:28 AM. Reason: Typo
I have a 91 Jeff Beck Strat,Lace Sensors in it
When set up well it never went out of tune,even with hard whammy use
I can remember not having to tune it for 4 nights,and then it was just a tad off,,that roller nut and lock tuners really make a huge diff
That doesn't surprise me... he's always tweaking his guitars from what I've read. Like us all he's looking for that tone.
I use the Hot Noiseless on my Strat... I like 'em! When I roll the volume knob back to 3-4 I get a nice vintage tone and when I crank it to between 7 and 10 I get a more classic rock or even hard rock tone... or dirty blues sound through the amps/pedalboard I use.
I just ordered a set of DiMarzio's. Area '61 (DP416) in the neck position, an Area '67 (DP419) in the middle and a Virtual Vintage '54 Pro (DP408) for the bridge.
Actually the Suhr pickups are from the '90s, when Suhr worked at Fender. Also the Strat is a basswood body, basically some parts he had bolted together.
Not 100% sure (no pun intended) but you might be able to get Suhr to wind a set to the same specs.
I've never had luck with any of the stacked pickups - unless you're talking active, then Duncan has something pretty good.
Everyone says "when set up properly" Now wouldn't you think that Fender might carry some responsibility in this dept? I mean it is a JB guitar built to his spec is it not?....shouldn't that include the PROPER trem bar set up out of the box? or an instruction manual?? Just sayin its alot of dough just to have it go directly to the luthier for tweaking Is this why EC blocks his bridge?.... we all know how it should float effortlessly we all know how it should come back in tune....as someone said "JBs guitar never goes out of tune NEVER does it?"
Where you been, Mr Tahoe......in cryogenic suspension or doing three back-to-back dimes in Folsom?
The last time they assumed responsibility for anything they were known as the "Fender Electric Instrument Company".
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
The last few new Stratocasters I picked up were basically unplayable. I doubt that they are marketing to serious musicians anymore and just selling to collectors and hobbyists/newbies.
You can buy much better imports for half the cost of a Fender these days.
Fender is just another holding of a private equity group (Servco Pacific) that is only interested in maximizing profit at any cost. They market "brands" instead of instruments. They are mostly an automotive industry investor.
Gibson at least has a CEO who is passionate about guitars and it shows. Same with PRS, who's owner can actually build a nice guitar by himself. Keisel is the best-kept secret in USA guitars.
Fender's no longer proclaim to be made in the USA. Maybe someday someone will buy Fender and make good guitars again, but that day is not today. Fender has pretty much decided only the Custom Shop will build quality working musician's guitars.
Last edited by Offshore Angler; 02-07-2024 at 12:39 PM.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
The instructor during my short-lived experiment with guitar lessons had a wonderful Kiesel nylon-string electric guitar. Elegant, understated, and very playable!
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
I disagree, Chuck.
I've been playing Fenders for over four decades all told, and although I know that the general wisdom is that Fender's suck, I don't think so.. Maybe I'm easy to please. Granted, I don't gig anymore, but the Strat I got last year is the best one I've owned in terms of playability and sound. And seriously, I'm not butt hurt over your estimation. You are an experienced player, and you know what you like and what doesn't work for you. However, I think if you heard what I get out of my BatStrat, you'd be impressed on some level. I need to record with it sooooooon.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
If Fender still cared about quality and value (the hallmarks upon which Leo built the original company) this thread wouldn't even exist.
The prosecution rests.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
But The Fender Forum soldiers on.
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
So basically, their quality control is soooo bad they let a few good ones slip through, LOL.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
ROTF!!!
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Well, with a Fender you get what you pay for. Even their "Professional" series costs about the same as a high-end Epiphone import.
There are reasons Les Pauls and PRS's cost 3 or 4 times more. The whole thing with Fender now is how cheaply can we make these things?
The sad truth is that many of the import Squiers are now nicer than the standard Fenders.
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
I think this is not only a statement of truth, but I would even go further and suggest that Squier (and Epiphone on the Gibson side) are doing more in the way of creativity and inventiveness with their guitar lines. Although sticking with the traditional names and shapes, Squier is building quality instruments with quality components, and offering them at affordable prices. Epiphone has its own "Designer" series with new names, shapes and modern components -- also at affordable prices.
I note also that once your eyes move past the name on the headstock, there are some brands out there producing terrific guitars. For example, I watched a video of Tim Pierce (considered one of the top 10 session guitarists in the business) playing a newly-reborn Harmony Jupiter Thinline that he thinks very highly of.
I looked at all the guitars on Harmony's web site. Maybe not for everyone, but I note that every guitar is American made, and their prices are competitive (~$1,499) with those of the "big boys."
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
The weird part of all this is that Fender Japan is building eye-popping, drool-worthy axes at affordable prices but they are not allowed to be sold in the USA.
That alone tells you where Fender's head is at. Or should I say up?
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
Again, we agree. My last (and perhaps final) Fender purchase was an absolutely drool-worthy MIJ Hybrid 50s Stratocaster (2019). I was attracted to it because I lusted after a Sherwood Green Strat, but it turns out there's more to it than the color! Here's the original listing:
2019 Fender Hybrid ‘50s Stratocaster in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order with a custom color Sherwood Green gloss finish. One of the finest Strat iterations ever produced by Fender Japan (and a model not available in the USA market), the Hybrid '50s Stratocaster was a Factory Special Run model, now discontinued. Simply stunning in its forward-thinking design and player-friendly features, the guitar features an alder body, one-piece maple neck, USA-made Fender black bobbin pickups, USA-made CTS pots, a two-point vibrato unit, locking vintage-style tuners, larger fretwire, a modern fretboard radius, and a silky smooth satin neck profile finish.
The perfect marriage of Vintage and Modern, the Hybrid '50 model is true to its name, yet the tonal range of the instrument is firmly in the Vintage camp. The black bobbin Fender USA 57/62 pickups feature staggered, beveled alnico magnets and cloth-covered leads, with a clear, sparkling top end, smooth midrange character, and a full yet focused bass that still has a nice snap. The alder body is a resonant, balanced tonal platform for the pickups, and the guitar weighs 7lbs 15oz. We've had this Strat dialed in here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and spot-on intonation.
The maple neck has a highly playable chunky U-shaped profile carve with full, inviting shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .890” deep at the 1st fret and .995” at the 12th. The satin profile and fretboard finish feels great on the palm, and the narrow/tall fretwire (analogous to the 6105 size) has good meat and height, showing light wear beneath the plain strings on the crowns of frets 1-12 and playing cleanly in every register. The fretboard has a modern 9 1/2" radius, and the nut measures 42.5mm (1.675") in width. The headstock features Gotoh Magnum Lock Top locking tuners which provide a much more rigid string contact point, eliminating the need to wind the strings around the posts and reducing friction. The tuners also have a staggered post design for better break angle across the nut.
All of the electronics function flawlessly, with the Fender USA black bobbin pickups wired to USA-made full-size CTS pots and a five-way pickup selector switch. The hardware includes a modern two-point vibrato with flawless chrome plating. Plastic parts include ivory pickup covers and knobs, and a one-ply black pickguard and tremolo cavity cover, which shows some buckle wear on the plastic. Cosmetic wear on the gloss Sherwood Green finish is limited to one microscopic ding on the top central to the lower bout, a couple additional dings on the treble-side lower bout body edge, and just a scant few faint scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile is immaculate.
Included were photos of the pickguard removed, the pups and wiring shown in full glory, and closeups of tuners, neck, etc. And... Here it is:
Striving to be ordinary
Proud to be a TFF Dumbass!
Thank you, Perry Mason.
ha ha
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Lol. Maybe they feel so sorry for lefties that they decided to only put quality in those. Or maybe my standards are low because I'm a lefty. I've had a few duds, but I feel lucky with what I have now--that's true about everything I have. The only complaint I have of my Fender basses is that my AmPro JB can be overly trebly. And yet, a little EQ calms that and makes it sound great. I really can't complain about my two Strats and Tele. And Epiphones sound great, but their switches are shit--always get shorts in them. A little contact spray, I guess, might help?
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Don’t worry about cleaner spray, just replace the switch with a quality piece. Minor cost.
Mark
+1
No amount of turd polish will make a FUBARed switch shine.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
You're right. Remind me not to get on any Asian trains outside of Japan. If the switches on guitars don't work, I'm afraid of what would happen on train tracks.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Where do you think Boeing, Airbus, and Dassault buy all their stuff from......?
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Yeeeeesh. A feller ought not think about this too much. The floor becomes lava.Where do you think Boeing, Airbus, and Dassault buy all their stuff from......?
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Just keep the bourbon flowing and you'll be alright.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Just keep the bourbon flowing and you'll be alright.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
High-end Epiphones have CTS innards and use Gibson pickups, so you can't generalize.
Yes, the el-cheapo entry-level stuff uses off-brand, but so does PRS, Guild, and most of the others.
BTW, have you looked inside a Fender lately?
Chuck
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
In my not so humble opinion... The biggest contribution to Jeff's sound, tuning, and everything else that comes out of that, or any other guitar that he happens to pick up and play, is that beautifully gifted pair of hands, and specifically the fingers of his right hand on that trem arm...
And that's all there is to that...
RIP Jeff...
It's hard to listen to/watch Beck without coming to the conclusion that his hands contributed greatly to his tone. He was a unique player, too. I like some of the music from all his different phases, but I think he really found his voice with the Strat. If he'd never touched anything but a Les Paul after Wired and Blow by Blow, he would still have sounded fantastic, and his playing would have been stellar. But he was such a master of that trem arm.
Whatever you think of Roger Waters, listen to Beck's playing on the intro tune and "What God Wants" on the Amused to Death album. Beck's playing is nothing short of Olympian.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Ahem......there's the small matter of his work with Beck, Bogart, and Appice.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I agree. I was making, badly, the point that if he'd never played anything but a Les Paul, he'd have still been incredible but that with the Strat, he reached much higher. My very subjective opinion, of course.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
IMNSHO, Jeff Beck's brilliance was not in his hands. It came from his head. He was an innovator, always searching while managing to be musical at the same time.
He used all the parts of his instrument and explored what each could do to add to his sonic palette. In a world where so many guitar players have no clue what the volume and tone controls are for on a guitar he showed us they are just as important as the strings. He played the WHOLE guitar, even using the trem springs to sculpt his sound.
He left beauty in the world through his imagination.
Genius through and through.
"No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim
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