🎸 Jake E. Lee, the legendary guitarist known for his defining work with Ozzy Osbourne and Badlands, has long been associated with his signature instrument: the heavily modified 1974 Fender Stratocaster dubbed “Whitey.” While that guitar is now available as the Charvel “So-Cal Jake E. Lee Signature Model,” Lee recently surprised fans by naming different designs as his all-time favorites.
👑 The Best Guitar Designs Ever Made
During a conversation with Tone-Talk, Lee declared two models hold the top spot in his heart, aside from his profitable Charvel signature. “My favorite guitars are SGs, other than the Charvels that I make money off of,” Lee confessed. “I love SGs. SGs and Strats. I think those are the best guitar designs ever.” Lee has been seen with an SG before, notably in the music video for Ozzy’s “Shot in the Dark.”
He also listed another, more surprising favorite, adding a vintage model to his list of admired designs: “Gretsch, I love Duo Sonics. I love Gretsch guitars.”
🤯 The Secret Behind “Whitey’s” Unplayability
Lee’s beloved “Whitey” Strat is famous for its unique look and sound, but the guitarist revealed a key flaw that made the original instrument an intensely personal, almost exclusive piece of gear. When asked about the original guitar, he admitted, “It’s fucked up. I mean, I beat the shit out of that guitar, and it didn’t age well.”
More revealing was the state of the neck. Lee explained to Charvel, during the development of his signature model, that the neck had been so heavily shaved down over time that it became uniquely narrow.
“The neck was so narrow, it got shaved down. Somehow, it was so narrow you couldn’t play a D chord, an open D chord because the fingers… It was so narrow. Nobody could play that guitar except me.”
📦 The Original Strat Is Now Retired
While the original “Whitey” is no longer the guitarist’s daily driver, Lee confirmed that he still owns the battered, one-of-a-kind instrument. However, its touring days are long over. “Yes. I haven’t seen it for a while. It’s off in storage. I don’t bring it out to play or anything,” he concluded, confirming the legendary Strat’s retirement after years of heavy use.