• Model: Hellecasters Limited Edition Jerry Donahue Stratocaster
• Finish: Sapphire Blue Transparent
• Body: Ash
• Neck: 1-Piece Maple
• Neck Profile: Thick Soft “V”
• Fingerboard: Maple
• Frets: Vintage-Style
• Pickups: Seymour Duncan Jerry Donahue Bridge Pickup with Steel Baseplate, 2 x Seymour Duncan Vintage-Style Alnico II Strat Pickups
• Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone, 2-Way Rotary Switch
• Switching: 5-Way Blade with Additional Jerry Donahue Switching Options
• Bridge: Vintage-Style Strat Tremolo
• Pickguard: Very Dark Blue Sparkle
• Country: Japan
• Year: 1997

This is a seriously cool and very unusual Fender Japan piece. The Hellecasters run has become increasingly collectible over time, and that is partly because it was such a short-lived and slightly mysterious series. Fender Japan offered the three Hellecasters models in 1997 and 1998, built around Will Ray, Jerry Donahue and John Jorgenson, and they never became a long-running mainstream line. That limited window, combined with the fact that nobody seems to know exactly how many were made, has only added to the appeal. The Jerry Donahue Strat is arguably the most distinctive of the three because it is the only true Donahue Stratocaster design, and it was far more than just a signature name on a standard body shape. The wiring is a huge part of the appeal, with the 5-way selector and rotary switch opening up the usual Strat tones as well as the clever Jerry Donahue neck-and-bridge combinations and the more unusual in-between-style sounds. That gives it a voice that sits somewhere between a Strat and a Tele in places, which suits Donahue perfectly. I also really like the spec visually. The Sapphire Blue Transparent finish is rare and looks superb, and the thick soft V maple neck sounds like a real highlight. These guitars have a reputation for superb Japanese workmanship, and examples this clean are not easy to find now. A very collectible and genuinely interesting Fender from one of Fender Japan’s more unusual late-'90s series.

Excellent collector’s condition and perhaps one of the cleanest examples you are likely to find from this series. Presents exceptionally well overall with only the lightest signs of age and handling.

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