Fender Artist Series Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster (Rosewood, With Case)

Feature:
Classic Strat looks. Mine is the Olympic White model - the body, P/Us and knobs match - slightly cream coloured - the scratch plate is pure white, lovely contrast. Locking tuners and bridge sadddles in a matt finish look cool and work very well. LSR roller nut is a bonus and works very well. Strap locking strap buttons are a thoughtful extra. Supplied with two vibrato arms, one shorter with a coloured plastic tip, one longer in plain steel. The neck is simply luxurious! A comfortably larger than usual C shape, just perfect with a nice cut away at the body join to help access the dusty end of the fret board.

Quality:
I tried various models and all were slightly different, none had the feel I wanted, probaly just to do with the set up.The quality of the materials was always good, just lacked that special something. I finally found this one whilst on my travels and it was perfect, even better than a Custom Shop version I tried. I had to adjust the neck slightly as there was a very minor curve around the middle of the neck, possibly due to the fact that it was shipped from abroad and experienced temperature changes. A very minor thing.The only minor gripe is that the tiny spring from the bridge was missing, but again this is minor, the instrument itself was otherwise up to expectations. A few blemishes on the case, but again this is a small price to pay for international shiping.

Value:
This guitar is worth the asking price in the UK, where it is normal practice to haggle:) The U.S. price is obviously more agreeable still. The official UK price is about £1,600, I paid £1,350 in London. I live outside the UK (Europe)and would have had to pay about £400 more there.

Desirability:
If you like Strats, this is one of the top 5 "must have" guitars on the market.

Sound:
Sounds incredible clean, through a Marshall, Fender or just about any other amp I´ve tried. Very "Stratty" sounds especially on the in between settings, nice bass tones on the middle and neck pickups and a lovely bright bridge sound - without being harsh - no need to roll the tone off. Lovely and warm when used with overdrive, great for Blues and Classic Rock.

Ease of Use:
Not much to say, just a very versatile Strat. Comfortable to play and always sounds superb in Rock, Blues or Jazzy moods - all tones are available especially at the warmer end of the spectrum.

Support:
I haven´t needed to call Fender so cannot comment.

Overall:
This guitar has everything I want in a Strat. If I get bored, I can change the P/Us, bridge, knobs, tuners, whatever, but the instrument itself - the wood, the construction, the overall feel - is perfect.

Feature:
Three noislesspickups, 5 positions...Tone and volume..whammy bar...locking tuners....Who needs more than that?

Quality:
This one goes to "11".

Value:
Most of the artist series guitars I have seen lately are paint jobs of existing models. I haven't seen a Strat with all the features the JB has.

Desirability:
Got it.

Sound:
I bought it through ZZounds about a 1 1/2 years ago. Out of the tweed case it was the best guitar I ever owned or played. Sounds great on all 5 settings. Been using it with a Pocket Pod for the last 6 months and it can handle every sonic register I throw at it.

Ease of Use:
Easy to play. Great action.

Support:
Haven't needed any.

Overall:
Best Strat out there.