Think of Jeff Beck, guitar in hand, and you might well think Strat. Not a surprise, given that was his main instrument for the last 40 or so years of his long career. We talked about this as Jeff and I sat in the kitchen of his 16th century Sussex pile enjoying a nice cup of tea and a chat about guitars, one of his favourite subjects.
He reflected on the timeless qualities of a Strat. “You don’t get kids saying, ‘What’s that old guitar? Ain’t you got a new one?’ It still looks futuristic,” he said, smiling at the idea, “and it’s still an unbeatable shape, as is the Tele. I don’t think you can improve on those two guitars – the all-time great rock guitars.”
In fact, he added, the Strat was to blame for his early conversion to the power of rock. “The reason I left school was because of that guitar. I mean, that is brain damage when you’re
