I never imagined that I would own a 1950s Stratocaster. The closest I’d come was when my guitar-playing school teacher tipped me off about a 50s Strat for sale at Livewire Music in Cardiff. Having looked it over, I decided the scruffy black refinish and generally dirty condition didn’t justify the £200 asking price. Clearly, I wasn’t cut out for a career in finance, but in my defence, I must point out that this happened in 1983. Back then, you could still find all-original pre-CBS Strats for under four figures and nobody that I knew was doing relic finishes or selling vintage parts.
Fast forward to the early Noughties and my youthful enthusiasm for SRV started gravitating towards his brother Jimmie’s subtler playing style as well as his taste in guitars. I’d also had the opportunity to play a handful of ’56 and ’57 examples and was knocked out by the clean elegance of their styling, sleekly sculpted bodies and sublime soft V neck profiles.
