Iain Ashley Hersey's Fender Custom Shop 'Scalloped Fretboard' Stratocaster Used Extensively by him on Stage

2006 Fender Stratocaster (Fender Custom Shop for Iain Ashley Hersey)

Iain Ashley Hersey's personal Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster used extensively by him on stage. Asymmetrical double cutaway solid body. This super lightweight guitar weighs just 7.00 lbs. and has a two-piece ash body, contoured on back and lower bass bout.  One-piece 'uber' flamed maple neck featuring a specially scalloped fretboard with 21 jumbo frets and black dot position markers. Single "butterfly" string tree with metal spacer. Small headstock with 'spaghetti' logo with "Fender" in gold with black trim, "STRATOCASTER" in black beside it, and "with synchronized tremolo" in black beneath. The back of the headstock has the Fender Custom Shop USA logo in black with "3 of 3". Individual single-line Kluson Deluxe tuners with oval metal buttons. Four-bolt neck plate. Three single-coil DiMarzio HS3 DP-217 pickups with staggered pole-pieces and outputs of 19.70k, 20.50k and 21.8k. Single-layer white plastic pickguard with eight screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus five-way selector switch, all on pickguard. White plastic Stratocaster knobs with greenish gold lettering. The three potentiometers are all DiMarzio. Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece. All hardware gold plated. The underside of the neck heel has the Fender Custom Shop logo stamped in red; "H.Gastellum" stamped in black; pencil signature "Iain Ashley Hersey / 04/06" and "Music of Love"; and two other ink markings "8-94" and "1520695". The tremolo cavity has "Iain Ashley Hersey / 04/06" written in pencil. There is some light finish 'ripple' on the body and a few very small, slight and insignificant surface 'dings' mainly on the body edges. Otherwise this unique, super-light and great sounding guitar is in exceptionally fine (9.00) condition. Housed in a Fender three-latch rectangular black hardshell case with black plush lining (9.00).

Iain and Yngwie Malmsteen were good friends and had played together many times - Yngwie is featured on Iain's album "Nomad". The DiMarzio pickups and potentiometers are are wired very similarly to one of Yngwie Malmsteens stage-used Stratocasters with the same scalloped fretboard (Yngwie's was rosewood) that we sold two years ago. The neck width is also almost identical - although the profile is much thinner than Yngwie's guitar. A rare opportunity to own one of Iain Ashley Hersey's Stratocasters - one of three that he had specially built at the Fender Custom Shop in 2006.

In 2014 we purchased one of the most famous of Fender guitars from Iain… The very first Blond 'Mary Kaye' Stratocaster with gold hardware made in 1956 and presented by Fender to Mary Kaye… (that's another story!!). Iain had purchased that guitar in November 1998 and had used it on all of his recordings and even featutred it on his album covers - but on stage he would use guitars specially made for him… apparently all of his guitars featured gold hardware - a la Mary Kaye!!

Iain Ashley Hersey, (1955-2015) Iain graduated from Rumford High School in 1973 and attended Berkley School of Music in Boston. There he studied music theory with exposure to jazz and classical music but his main interest continued to be rock music. Throughout his life he was devoted to music, performing in several bands in high school including Wolfe, Ash and Rich Lady. After living in Maine, Boston and New York City, Iain relocated to the West Coast where he taught at Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles for several years and then left to pursue his own musical career. Iain cut his teeth on the heavier British Rock Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Bad Company and guitar players like Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Certainly influenced by the voices from the past he's always strived to grow musically and develop his own style of which he has now most certainly carved out his own unique voice and signature. Later seeking to expand his musical vocabulary he studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he expanded his realm into that of Jazz improvisation, eventually though he returned to the fold of Rock ’n’ Roll. “Vintage Love” (2011) is the name of his brand new release, a compilation including the best of Iain’s previous work which consists of the albums "Fallen Angel" (1999), "The Holy Grail" (2005) and "Nomad" (2008). With "Red Head Rampage“ one previously unreleased bonus track was added. Among the musicians joining Iain for the records is an impressive cast of top notch vocalists like Paul Shortino (ex-Quiet Riot), Doogie White (ex-Rainbow), Graham Bonnet (ex-Rainbow, MSG) and Carsten Schulz (Evidence One). He played and recorded with some of the top musicians worldwide and has tracks on many well known CDs. His unique style not only appeals to fans of Classic Rock, Hard Rock and Melodic Rock bands, but also for lovers of Blues influenced Classic Rock artists such as Black Country Communion, Philip Sayce, Richie Kotzen and Joe Bonamassa - Iain Ashley Hersey had a lot to offer.

A lengthy interview with Kevin Julie of Rock Newsletter and Iain Ashley Hersey can be seen by clicking on the following link:  http://www.travellersintime.com/uw/uwiah.htm

Iain can be seen playing this actual guitar on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olUDGNwgP-M

Many of his recordings can be listened to on Youtube including:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AeW_UmcsKw&list=PLp_15OZI2bn1M81IEtCv2o73c9X2O4yRJ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH2XKHVrEOs&t=19s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUsONvWrMuQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hx81WUvosU