“They asked Billy Gibbons, John Mayer and me. I wish this would make me sound like Jeff Beck, but it won’t”: Steve Lukather confirms Jeff Beck guitar tribute project as he wields his iconic White Strat to cover Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing

Toto “Little Wing” (Live) at the Hollywood Bowl 9/1/2024 - YouTube

Watch On

Steve Lukather has been filmed playing Jeff Beck’s White Fender Stratocaster for a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing during a recent Toto show.

During the concert, which took place at the Hollywood Bowl last Sunday (September 1), Lukather and his Toto bandmates indulged in a seven-minute cover of the Hendrix classic, for which the electric guitar hero played a rather notable Strat.

That Strat was one of Beck’s main go-to guitars, and has become synonymous with the late guitar great’s style and sound.

Identifiable from its reverse headstock, Olympic White finish and split roller nut, the guitar was originally built by the Fender Custom shop around 2014, and used by Beck for much of the latter years of his career.

Toto "Little Wing" Steve Lukather on Jeff Beck's Strat at the Hollywood Bowl! 09/01/24 - YouTube

Watch On

But it was pulled out of hibernation for the Toto show, and was used by Lukather for an extended effort that saw the virtuoso doff his cap to the guitar’s former owner – and Little Wing’s original writer – with nearly two minutes of flat-out soloing.

“I’ve got something special to do tonight,” Lukather says to introduce the cover, and the Strat. “I normally don't play a white Stratocaster. This is a special one. This is Jeff Beck’s guitar.

“His lovely wife Sandra and his closest friend and guitar tech brought this out, and they’ve been bringing it out to guitar players to put a little of love on it. Jeff and I were friends.

“They asked a certain amount of guitar players, but they’re just getting started. They asked Billy Gibbons, John Mayer and me, and they’ve probably got a long list. I wish this would make me sound like Jeff Beck, but it won’t.”

And so Lukather’s use of Beck’s Strat seems to be one of the first of potentially many cases of players using Beck’s guitars for live performances. In the description of the video, it is noted that “Steve Lukather plays Jeff Beck’s White Stratocaster as part of a musician’s project to honor Jeff’s legacy”.

True to Lukather’s words, we’ve already seen Mayer use Jeff Beck’s White Strat during Dead & Company’s recent residency shows at The Sphere. Although it was first speculated to be a Custom Shop replica, Joe Bonamassa later confirmed it was indeed the real deal.

At the time, it was assumed JoBo’s keen eye for iconic guitars had helped him with the identification, but now it’s entirely plausible that he knew it was Beck’s White Strat because Bonamassa himself is also involved in this mysterious “musicians’ project”, and is clued up on the whereabouts of Beck’s instruments. Could he be next to partake in this “musician’s project”?

It’s certainly an exciting prospect, and fans of Beck will no doubt be pleased to see his presence and influence live on with the continued use of his guitars. Having Beck’s guitars out on the road for a range of tribute covers seems a better way of honoring his musical memory than by keeping them under lock and key.