Jeff Beck Electric Guitar, 1954 Fender Esquire

Jeff Beck used this Esquire in his brief but influential work with the Yardbirds in 1965 and 1966. While the Yardbirds were on tour with the Walker Brothers in 1965, Beck purchased it from the latter's guitarist, John Maus. Among other modifications, the Esquire's slab body had been sanded down and contoured to imitate the ergonomics of the Fender Stratocaster, exposing the ash woodgrain underneath. On "Heart Full of Soul," a key song in the development of psychedelic rock, Beck played this guitar with a fuzz pedal to simulate the buzzing harmonics of a sitar.