Hank Marvin's Strat specs
- Thread starter hanny11
- Start date
I found this for the 1998 re-issue made by fender.
Forty instruments were hand made in Fender's US Custom Shop in 1998, to Hank's specifications. The two-piece construction is of light-weight ash, finished in vintage Fiesta Red with gold hardware including a Fender Classic Bridge, three Kinman HS pickups, and a white single-ply scratch plate with eight securing screws. The neck is made, to a 9.6" radius, from limited edition birds-eye maple; fitted with gold Sperzel machine heads and twenty-two medium jumbo frets. A vintage logo and Hank Marvin's signature (with a genuine ruby dotting the "i") adorn the headstock. The instruments were retro-fitted (in the UK) with LEDs, which are set into the fret markers on the upper side of the neck. As originally supplied, the string gauges are 0.010" to 0.046" (as used by Hank Marvin).
Forty instruments were hand made in Fender's US Custom Shop in 1998, to Hank's specifications. The two-piece construction is of light-weight ash, finished in vintage Fiesta Red with gold hardware including a Fender Classic Bridge, three Kinman HS pickups, and a white single-ply scratch plate with eight securing screws. The neck is made, to a 9.6" radius, from limited edition birds-eye maple; fitted with gold Sperzel machine heads and twenty-two medium jumbo frets. A vintage logo and Hank Marvin's signature (with a genuine ruby dotting the "i") adorn the headstock. The instruments were retro-fitted (in the UK) with LEDs, which are set into the fret markers on the upper side of the neck. As originally supplied, the string gauges are 0.010" to 0.046" (as used by Hank Marvin).
made from "limited edition" birdseye maple
Dammit, I was just talking to God this morning, and asked him about increasing the supply of birdseye maple past this current run of it. God passed the buck, and told me to take it up with Jesus. I TRIED explaining the Jesus took a leave from the landscape biz, and was back in Mexico till after New Years.
I dunno if we'll get past this "limited edition" wood. :sad:
And when that happens, whats ol' HM gonna do? He's gonna have to use the same regular-creation birdseye maple that all the rest of us mortals do.
Dammit, I was just talking to God this morning, and asked him about increasing the supply of birdseye maple past this current run of it. God passed the buck, and told me to take it up with Jesus. I TRIED explaining the Jesus took a leave from the landscape biz, and was back in Mexico till after New Years.
I dunno if we'll get past this "limited edition" wood. :sad:
And when that happens, whats ol' HM gonna do? He's gonna have to use the same regular-creation birdseye maple that all the rest of us mortals do.
The 52ri I got is very light. But its also very old for a 52ri - and has factory mismatched parts. The certificate has the body/bridge serial number from the mid 80's, but has the DATE from the neck in the mid 90's. Me thinks they found some bodies that must have been set aside, and put em to good use.
Back to wood - that neck is pretty for a factory neck. A light burl. The other Fender I've got is a Jazz Bass (USA) and its wood is clear and straight grained, but then again... that all ya ever really need.
Back to wood - that neck is pretty for a factory neck. A light burl. The other Fender I've got is a Jazz Bass (USA) and its wood is clear and straight grained, but then again... that all ya ever really need.
Soloshchenko
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hanny11 said:
Recently played a new American standard tele and the neck was maple but it lacked any kind of figuring. It was almost white and so plain It left me feeling cold. Perhaps I've just been spoilt by he quality of my birdseye maple W neck.
To be honest my old japanese fender strat has a far nicer piece of maple for the neck. Me thinks Fender has been raiding the Squier maple piles!
hanny11 said:
Dead serious hanny. The story of the guitar is well documented. British pop singer Cliff Richard decided to buy a Fender guitar for the lead guitarist in his backing band, The Drifters who later became The Shadows, Hank Marvin. They sent to America for a brochure and selected a red stratocaster with gold hardware and had it imported direct. In the late '50s there was a trade embargo on various American goods in England so it was among the first Fenders to arrive in UK. Later the rhythm guitarist Bruce Welch and bass guitarist Jet Harris were equipped with matching fiesta red fenders. Although Hank Marvin played this guitar on Apache and lots more records it apparently never belonged to him. Years later Bruce was at Cliff Richards house and picked up a white stratocaster. He asked about it and was told "..that's the first one I bought for Hank, I had it painted..." Bruce asked for, and was given the guitar that night and had it restored to its original color and it's his No1 stage guitar today.
My buddy Dick is a Shadows tragic from wayback and knows Bruce Welch fairly well. He got the story from him..nice eh?
So for all the specs, neck, hardware, pickups etc. It's all stock standard from circa 1958/9 :guitaristgif:
