Hank Marvin joined Cliff Richard’s band in 1959 and was looking for a Stratocaster like the one on Buddy Holly’s The ‘Chirping’ Crickets, but there were none in post-war Britain so it was a surprise when this brand new Fiesta Red model arrived. It’s reputedly the first to have arrived in the UK.
Eric Clapton bought 3 Stratocasters from a Nashville music shop in 1970 and selected a ’56 body, a ’57 neck and the pickups and guard from another. Blackie was Clapton’s main instrument for live performances and studio recordings from it’s debut at the Rainbow Concert in 1973 until 1985.
Hardly anyone in America had heard of Jimi Hendrix before the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Ending his performance with Wild Thing, Jimi knelt on the stage, lay his guitar down and set it alight. He then smashed it into the stage several times before throwing the broken pieces into the audience.
 Purchased in Texas in 1973, this 60’s Stratocaster was Stevie Ray Vaughan’s favourite and the one he called Number One. It was originally fitted with a white pickguard and right handed tremolo but Stevie fitted the left handed gold tremolo in 1977 to give him more playing freedom.
This 1983 ‘57 reissue Candy Apple Red Stratocaster is one of a number purchased by David Gilmour for his About Face tour in 1984. EMG pickups were fitted prior to Live Aid in 1985. It was also used on Pink Floyd’s Momentary Lapse of Reason tour in 1987 and The Division Bell tour in 1994.