This is only a preview. The auction will open on: 10/28/2026 1:00:00 PM
Offered Here: Zeke Clark 1980s-1990s Custom Shop Build Fender Cream Colored Stratocaster To Jimi Hendrix Specs From Leo Fender With COA
Item Details: Prepare to bid on a spectacular instrument born from an incredible wager between two industry titans. The story behind this gorgeous off-white Fender Stratocaster comes straight from legendary guitar tech Zeke Clark, who met Leo Fender at a late-1980s NAMM convention. Leo laid down a challenge, promising Zeke a custom guitar if he could convince Edward Van Halen to play a Stratocaster during a live performance. Zeke successfully delivered on his end of the bargain, and Leo kept his word by commissioning this instrument shortly before his passing in 1991.
Built to Zeke's exact request for a Stratocaster tailored to classic Jimi Hendrix specifications, this rare piece features a distinct Fender Custom Shop decal affixed to the back of the headstock and a V-prefix serial number, V07001, on the neck plate. While general database registries can occasionally misread these early numbers, specialized research confirms this combination signifies a highly collectible, early-era Fender Custom Shop masterpiece dating between 1991 and 1994. The guitar is sold as-is and remains in very good condition, showcasing minimal wear and the subtle beginnings of a beautiful, aged patina. This historically rich piece comes complete with a vintage-style tweed hardshell case and a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) to verify its legendary origin story.
Provenance/Authenticity: Randall "Zeke" Clark is a renowned luthier and legendary guitar/amp technician who got his start in the San Francisco music scene in the 70s, working with various A-list artists until moving to LA in the 80s, where he worked for Eddie Van Halen.
From 1985 to 1993, he served as Edward Van Halen’s lead guitar and amp tech, transitioning to the crew with Sammy Hagar to maintain the band's gear through the monumental 5150, OU812, and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge eras.
Beyond his historic tenure as the custodian of Eddie's tone, Clark's elite five-decade career includes building, repairing, and maintaining specialized gear for iconic artists such as Prince, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Heart, Poison, and others. This curated selection of items offers collectors a unique and direct connection to rock history through the hands of a master craftsman who shaped the sound of guitar royalty.
This item was personally handled, vetted, and released by Zeke Clark, ensuring its authenticity and rock-history provenance. Zeke Clark utilizes an Official Personal Signature Stamp to validate and inventory documents and artifacts released directly from his private estate. This item comes with his personal ink-imprinted signature stamp on the certificate of authenticity, which serves as his legally binding, authorized mark of verification and carries the full weight of a hand-signed signature.
Leo Fender introduced the Stratocaster in 1954, and its contoured body, three single-coil pickups and built-in tremolo made it one of the most widely played electric guitars in popular music. Jimi Hendrix did more than any other player to define the instrument's possibilities, playing right-handed Stratocasters flipped upside down and restrung for his left hand, and using feedback, the tremolo arm and high volume to expand the vocabulary of rock guitar, most famously with a white Stratocaster at Woodstock in 1969. Fender's designs, along with Hendrix's approach to them, shaped the sound and look of electric guitar for generations of players who followed.
Condition: Very good, as-is, with an aged patina, comes with a hardshell case.
SKU: RZC2113