Buddy Guy on his beloved first Stratocaster: “You could hit a note on that guitar and hold it ‘til next week”
Buddy Guy proved that Strats were a great choice for Blues with it prior being assumed as a guitar for country music, according the guitar icon.
Image: Steve Jennings / Getty
Buddy Guy has spoken about his first Stratocaster, reflecting on how he became a “Strat man for the rest of his life” after his Gibson Les Paul was stolen at a gig.
In a new video with Reverb, Guy went through his rich musical history, explaining what led to some of his most iconic rig choices. Although his first electric was a Les Paul Goldtop, he managed to convince the blues-loving world that a Stratocaster was the way forward, after he picked one up when his Les Paul was stolen in 1957.
Guy’s invigorating performances with his Strat encouraged the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and many more to grab one for themselves. He also reflected on his reputation of being “the wild man” for jumping around the stage and not holding back at a live show.
He said of his Strat, “But man that guitar, you could hit a note on that guitar and hold it ‘til next week. You could hold it and do it like BB King, vibrate his hand [sic] and people would look at you and say ‘Is that you playin’ that? Because it still looks like it’s holding the sound too long.”
After realising how robust the Strat model was, and how it could be thrown around and still play intact, Guy said, “‘I’m gonna be a Strat man for the rest of my life’”.
Watch the full video below:
