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Buy their sound: Jeff Beck

News
By Total Guitar ( Total Guitar ) published 29 July 2014

One budget and one blowout gear list

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Introduction

Introduction

Jeff Beck has long been one of the pantheon of greats, yet he remains an enigma. Here we look at two rigs that will give you the base for Beck’s legendary tone: one on a budget and one that will require significant saving power.

Beck has used Fender Esquires, a 1956 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet, Les Pauls; he even used a Jackson Soloist on 1985’s Flash. Yet, he’s always been synonymous with Strats, favouring his white ’93 Custom Shop above all else.

You’ll find Marshall and Fender amps in his backline, too. But remember: the gear is just a fraction of the story. The rest is in his head and hands, just out of reach for we mere mortals.

Of course, you should really do it the hard way, so also check out How to play like Jeff Beck.

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Squier Deluxe Hot-Rails Strat

Squier Deluxe Hot-Rails Strat

BUDGET: A versatile electric with a vintage feel and plenty of attitude from its Duncan Designed pickups.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Fender Mustang II V2

Fender Mustang II V2

BUDGET: With heaps of onboard modelling software, the Mustang’s a versatile choice.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Electro-Harmonix Soul Food Boost/Overdrive

Electro-Harmonix Soul Food Boost/Overdrive

BUDGET: This is a great approximation of Jeff’s Klon Centaur, at barely a 10th of the price.

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Dunlop GCB95F Cry Baby Classic

Dunlop GCB95F Cry Baby Classic

BUDGET: This Cry Baby wah has a similar sweep and harmonic response to the very first Cry Babys.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Johnson's Baby Powder

Johnson's Baby Powder

BUDGET: Jeff always has a bottle on stage to stop his hands from gumming up.

Total spend on budget rig: £585/$677*

*(approx. based on web prices)

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
Fender Jeff Beck Stratocaster

Fender Jeff Beck Stratocaster

BLOWOUT: Jeff’s signature Strat has a fat C-shaped neck, is wired with dual-coil ceramic Noiseless pickups, and sounds incredible.

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue

Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue

BLOWOUT: It lacks a little gain, but articulates the Strat’s tone perfectly, has reverb, and all-valve Fender soul.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Fulltone Clyde Deluxe

Fulltone Clyde Deluxe

BLOWOUT: This flexible wah features three modes, plus a 60s-style inductor for authentic vintage tones.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
MXR Carbon Copy M169 Delay

MXR Carbon Copy M169 Delay

BLOWOUT: Jeff has been known to use both the M169 and a Way Huge Aqua-Puss - we’d go for the MXR.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
Wampler Euphoria Overdrive

Wampler Euphoria Overdrive

BLOWOUT: A truly gorgeous transparent overdrive that can even be used as a volume/treble boost.

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
The Accidental Vegetarian: Delicious Food Without Meat

The Accidental Vegetarian: Delicious Food Without Meat

BLOWOUT: After all that effort to find an alternative to his Klon Centaur, you might as well copy his diet and go vegetarian.

Total spend on blowout rig: £2,728.99/ $3650.50*

*(approx. based on web prices).

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
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Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

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Harley Benton ST JAM-ster: The new high-performance S-style from the budget gear giant comes in metallic red and gray finishes with black pickguards and vibrato.
“The ST-JAMster raises the bar on what a beginner guitar can do”: Harley Benton’s new entry-level electric is a stylish S-style with a $140 price tag and onboard effects
Harley Benton ST-Modern HH: the budget gear giant's latest design is a stripped-down, beginner-friendly S-style available in Seafoam Green, Black and Daphne Blue, and as a left-handed model in Seafoam Green
“Strips away all the excess to reveal a pure rock machine”: Harley Benton rolls out the ST-Modern HH – a beginner-friendly dual-humbucker S-style with Tom DeLonge vibes and a sub-$200 price tag
A still of Joe Bonamassa playing his 64 Greenburst Strat as he demos his new signature Seymour Duncan pickup set. Bonamassa wears a ballcap and a black hoodie.
“The ‘gray bottoms’ have a little more high output – they have a punchier sound to them”: Joe Bonamassa and Seymour Duncan put pre-CBS tones on the menu with “Greenburst” Stratocaster pickup set
Deals of the week
MusicRadar deals of the week: Enjoy a mind-blowing $600 off a full-fat Gibson Les Paul, £500 off Kirk Hammett's Epiphone Greeny, and so much more
JHS Pedals NOTADÜMBLË: the new DIY pedal kit from the Kansas stompbox company requires no soldering, is keenly priced, and promises two channels of tone inspired by the holy grail tube amps favoured by the likes of Joe Bonamassa.
“A half-million dollars of tone at your feet”: Nail the sound of a holy grail tube amp with a pedal you made yourself – JHS Pedals unveils the NOTADÜMBLË solderless DIY kit
A bare-chested Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin performs at Earl's Court, London, in 1975. Guitarist Jimmy Page plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard in the background.
“An amazing piece of history from the British blues scene”: Robert Plant is selling a trove of gear for charity – including a John Birch-modded ‘62 Stratocaster with two switches that once belonged to Stan Webb of Chicken Shack
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