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I saw a picture recently. I don't know what year it was from, but probably early 80s where Hank had a black strat with a non-fender 50s style maple neck. Did he replace the 70s neck on that black strat at some point?

Hi Svein,

Hanks black strat was a 1970 sample.
In 1965/66 Fender changed the small headstock of the strat to a lager headstock and they keep it that way on the standard strat till 1982!!
The four bolt one piece maple neck with large headstock was used only a short time because 59 to 65/66 was small headstock rosewood.
Only as a custom option a maple cap instead of a rosewood fretboard.
65/66 till 70 Rosewood with large head and also a maple cap option(think Hendricks white strat at Woodstock).
70 till first half 71 a solid maple neck was also a very rare option (the maple cap version from the 60's are more common).
71 the maple neck(rosewood too) was change to a 3 bolt version and with micro tilt and bullet trust rod adjustment at the nut side.

So Hanks neck on the black strat was original along the years he used it.
Why do you think it's a non Fender 50's neck...the decal is clearly to see on most pictures.

In the second half of the 80's he use a Griffin neck on his 58 fiesta red strat for some years.

Cheers Rob

bor64 wrote:Hi Svein,

Hanks black strat was a 1970 sample.
In 1965/66 Fender changed the small headstock of the strat to a lager headstock and they keep it that way on the standard strat till 1982!!
The four bolt one piece maple neck with large headstock was used only a short time because 59 to 65/66 was small headstock rosewood.
Only as a custom option a maple cap instead of a rosewood fretboard.
65/66 till 70 Rosewood with large head and also a maple cap option(think Hendricks white strat at Woodstock).
70 till first half 71 a solid maple neck was also a very rare option (the maple cap version from the 60's are more common).
71 the maple neck(rosewood too) was change to a 3 bolt version and with micro tilt and bullet trust rod adjustment at the nut side.

So Hanks neck on the black strat was original along the years he used it.
Why do you think it's a non Fender 50's neck...the decal is clearly to see on most pictures.

In the second half of the 80's he use a Griffin neck on his 58 fiesta red strat for some years.

Cheers Rob

I can confirm that Svein's description of that photo is accurate, Rob, because I saw it too. Tuesday, I think. I can't remember which Facebook group it was posted on and it's annoying me. I should have saved the image.

The guitar certainly looks like the black Strat (with black scratchpate and plastic parts), but it indeed does have a replacement neck with a non-Fender decal (not legible in the photo) and a small, '50s-style headstock. The neck is one-piece maple and appears to have some flame figuring.

The picture is definitely late '80s. One key indicator of the date is that Hank is wearing a pair of aviator glasses and, although the picture is in black and white, they're clearly a paler colour than black, which tells me they're the red pair. The picture was, from left to right, Brian (sat/kneeling), Hank (sat/kneeling) and Bruce (standing), posing together outside, smiling for a publicity shot/shoot. The guitar was the only instrument in the photo, if I recall correctly. I didn't look at the photo for long, but it stuck out in my mind for two reasons: 1: It is, in my experience, unheard of to see Hank with the combination of red glasses and black Strat, and 2: just like you gents, I'd not seen a different neck on that guitar before.

This shot was taken a few years after Hank stopped using the black Strat onstage, but I have heard it suggested that he continued using it in the studio for a fair while after it was retired from stage use. How reliable that rumour is I don't know, but it could explain why a new neck might be required long after the instrument was no longer used for performance. If it is the famous black Strat, and it looks a lot like it, it's probably one of the last official pictures taken of it before Hank gave it to Ben, prior to its last-known makeover in the '90s.

I would love to see that picture, because or I didn't see it yet or I forgot about it
I'm not on face book so...


Cheers Rob

At least one of Hank's Strats had a Roger Giffin neck with the Giffin logo...

Hi Justin,

I've surge for it and I've seen the picture.
It's indeed the black strat, now with a Roger Griffin neck, (which he had also earlier on the 58 fiesta red stat) and standard knobs for the pots.
The knobs he had for the longest time on the black strat were like a black checker disk Fender amp knob.
This is the last incarnation of the black strat with 3 SD SSL1's.
Hank got his pre-pre CS strat made by Mark P, and the 58 was refitted with her original neck by now.

Cheers Rob

I'm no guitar expert, but I feel sure that Hank DID use the Black Strat now and again during the 1980s and I believe took it on tour as a 'spare'. You can probably tell from not only his glasses, but his hair style and clothes, approx which year the photo was taken. Hank was always pretty trendy and bang up to date with such things. I believe that the Black Strat was given to Ben, who had it resprayed and used it on tour in the '90s. I believe it was fitted with a new neck then.

Hi Chris,

The lads used sometimes on albums also recordings that were made years before and weren't used at that time.
So it's quiet possible the black strat is on much later albums after her retirement.
Hanks red 58 was bought in Paris and soon afther that Bruce and Hank received both a USA vintage strat in two tone from Arbiter, they both used it as a spare for years.
When Hank was on stage or telly for his solo music, he often used the 58 red strat or sometimes the two tone Hicks strat in the spotlights.
At RAH in 1990, I saw the two tone USA vintage strat was still Bruce spare.

Cheers Rob