Fender Strat Plus 3-Color Sunburst 1991 Electric Guitar

This is a Fender Strat Plus. Made in the USA in 1991, this guitar is part of Fender’s Strat Plus series, which was introduced in 1987 after having been developed in conjunction with Jeff Beck. Beck had requested a special guitar be made for an upcoming tour of his in Japan. This guitar went through several iterations before becoming the Jeff Beck Signature Stratocaster, whilst some of the features became part of the Strat Plus line. Beck was often seen playing a Strat Plus live even after the release of his signature model.

Of course, a bolt-on construction is employed and comprises an Alder body, Maple neck and 22 fret Rosewood fingerboard. A 2-point synchronized tremolo bridge with block saddles is fitted, along with a set of Schaller locking tuning machines and an LSR Roller nut - quite common to find on older examples of the Strat Plus such as this, thanks to seizing issues with the original Wilkinson Roller nut. A trio of Fender Lace Sensor pickups are installed, with Blue, Silver & Red pickups in the neck, middle & bridge respectively. These are wired to a 5-way blade switch, master volume, neck tone & middle/bridge TBX controls.

The Maple neck plays very well, with the ‘C’ shape profile feeling rather slender in the hand, especially when compared with Fender’s more modern neck profiles. This provides an articulate and easily manoeuvrable playing surface across the register. The Rosewood fretboard is pleasant under the fingers, and with its traditional 9.5” radius is highly practical for both melodic and chordal playing styles. The Medium Jumbo frets enhance the feel of string bending and vibrato techniques whilst reducing the pressure required to fret notes, resulting in a smooth and fast playing experience in any position. The LSR Roller nut works in conjunction with the Schaller locking tuners to ensure excellent tuning stability for both bending and use of the tremolo system.

The trio of Fender Lace Sensor pickups installed in this guitar deliver traditional Stratocaster tones with reduced noise. They were designed with a unique combination of different metals and magnets, which help to eliminate unwanted noise and hum - one of the major drawbacks of traditional single-coils. Fender eventually replaced the Lace Sensor pickup with their own Noiseless pickups, the fourth generation of which are still found in new guitars today. The Blue neck pickup is warm and full bodied, with plenty of power to push your lead and solo tones to the front of the mix. The middle pickup is brighter with a more focussed tone, working very well for funky rhythm sounds. The Red bridge pickup is hotter than your average single-coil, with a strong midrange and plenty of output for lead playing and rock riffing.