H.M. Signature ( MIJ )

[hansaustria]

Did Hank ever play in his career on stage a Fender HM Signature ( MIJ ) ?
Are there different models on the market?

Regards
Hans

[dave robinson]

I don't think he used the MIJ signature on stage Hans, his guitars are USA made from the Custom Shop. It doesn't mean he never tried one out though.

[hansaustria]

What bodywood was used for the Hank M. signature ( MIJ FENDER ) guitar - built in 1985. I was told ash and only 500
were made at first - later then further 500 guitars.

[David Martin]

Ash is correct... and they were made in two batches. The second followed the sell out of the first.

[Strummer]

ASH it certainly was, I have one, fabulous guitar, so much so some of the HBM Club members say it is better than the USA Vintage. I had all the chrome taken off and fender Gold put on, looks, sounds and handles fantastically. I play it through a VOX AC30 CC2 and through (I've got two) a VOX AD 30 VT...again sounds terrific. I use an Alesis Quadraverb fitted with EFTP patches by Charlie hall AND a set of Echoes Piet devised, played on and through, my LapTop...both brilliant!! Cannot recommend all of this highly enough.

[bob t]

Although not on stage I am sure there is a recording of Hank playing one which was made I think for Guitarist magazine

I have the CD at home, I will check it out when I get home and confirm

Bob

[bob t]

Just checked it out and yes Hank does demo the MIJ Strat on the Guitarist CD Feb 97
He plays snatches from some of The Shadows Hits without any backing

This Guitar was Issued in '97 not '85, I have just checked the receipt and it was issued in April '97 which ties in with the CD date


Bob

[Strummer]

Bob, does the guitar sound as good as the USA Strat? Or, dare I say it, better?

[bob t]

Hi Arthur

I couldn't really say as I've never played a USA strat to compare it with but some of the guys at Hankies club say it has a really good sound
It's always difficult to tell yourself when you are playing and I never seem to be satisfied with my sound, always changing settings etc

Perhaps I should leave alone

Bob

[geoff1711]

I bought mine around June 97, and I upgraded to gold, whilst I'd not part with it and Hank has signed the rear of the headstock, I don't find the neck that comfortable, a bit too deep, radius a bit tight and the frets a bit too skinny.

The Strats I reach for first are my Mexicans.

As for sound they all have either Fender Noiseless or Kinman, the later a bit more full being Hank moderns so they're all more or less in the same ball park.

I recently bought a MIM Fiesta Red, second hand, with maple board but I've swapped the neck over from my Roland Strat because a) the neck was pretty much like my MIJ Hank strat and b) I wanted a Fiesta Red with a rosewood board.

The action and sound is really good but the routing of the neck pocket is slightly over size and it's not completely flat, in the add it claimed to have been professionally set up, and I wonder whether some luthier took a router to it so as to avoid shimming the back angle, whatever, it's a great colour much more vibrant than the current batch, plays well and sounds just like a Strat should.

In another thread there is a picture of a Fiesta red bass with a tort scratchplate, the colour is pretty close to the current batch of Strats, but also very similar to the pictures of Liquorice's bass, I wonder whether that was actually Fender's Fiesta Red, whereas Hank and Bruces were UK re-sprays, which would explain why Fender in America keep saying that the new colour is as close to the original spec as they can get.

But I've only known this colour as Fiesta Red for the last 10 or 15 years, before that it was always called (by the music shops I visited at least) Salmon Pink, and I actually think that if you can describe a colour in words, that's a more accurate description.

Geoff