In 1959, the electric guitar landscape in the UK changed forever when Cliff Richard bought a Fender Stratocaster for his lead guitarist Hank Marvin. When the case opened, Marvin found a striking Fiesta Red Stratocaster with gold hardware—an instant icon. It became the first Stratocaster officially brought into the UK, five years after the model’s U.S. debut, and its distinctive look and tone went on to define the sound of The Shadows and inspire a generation of British players.
Fast forward to the mid-1980s: after a rocky period under CBS ownership, Fender was reborn under new leadership and recommitted to craftsmanship. This revival led to the founding of the Fender Custom Shop—a small team of master builders focused on high-end, artist-grade instruments. One of their earliest projects was a Hank Marvin Signature Stratocaster, commissioned by the Arbiter Group, Fender’s UK distributor.
And here’s where the story takes a strange turn. In 1990, before Hank Marvin had officially approved the final specifications, the Fender Custom Shop produced 20 pre-signature Stratocasters. This wasn't speculation—it’s documented in a letter dated 20th August 1990 from Arbiter Group PLC. The letter, sent to dealers, explicitly states:
“The first production run of the above model was slightly premature in terms of Hank actually approving the final specification. The guitar which you are buying is one of the first 20 models produced prematurely.”
While these guitars were full Fender Custom Shop builds—guaranteed and warranted—they were never officially approved by Hank Marvin himself. The official signature model wouldn’t arrive until 1993, three years later. Some of the 20 early guitars may have been recalled, and according to collectors, only about 12 are known to still exist.
This particular example, available now on NeverEnoughStrats.com, is completely unplayed. The pickguard plastic is still intact. The red dot sticker remains over the tremolo hole. Even the frets required only light cleaning due to time, not wear. It features Lace Sensor pickups, TBX tone control, active mid boost, and locking tuners—specs similar to the Eric Clapton Strat of the same era, which may be part of why Hank ultimately distanced himself from this version.
Fiesta Red. Gold hardware. Lace Sensor pickups. TBX tone control. Active mid-boost. Locking tuners. It’s a unique hybrid of the Strat Plus and the early Clapton Strat, but with its own Custom Shop pedigree—and a story that almost never happened.
Are you a collector? A Hank Marvin fan? Or simply looking for one of the most obscure and collectible pieces from the early Fender Custom Shop era? This is it. A guitar that technically shouldn’t exist, from the pivotal period when Fender was rediscovering its soul.
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