Guitars Of SRV
Anyone who knows anything about Stevie Ray Vaughan knowns that his guitar of choice was a Fender Stratocaster. However, Stevie did not start his professional career by playing them. Stevie began his professional career with a band called Blackbird using two Gibson models, a 1954 Les Paul TV and a 1952 Les Paul Gold-Top. Another guitar which Stevie owned at this time, but rarely ever used, was a 1963 maple-neck Strat. It is interesting to note that this 1963 Strat was the guitar that Stevie traded-in in 1973 for the now-legendary Strat affectionately known as “Number One.”
Another interesting guitar that Stevie acquired during the early part of his professional career was a Kay Barney Kessel. This guitar was purchased in 1972, but later stolen in 1975. Another guitar which Stevie bought during this period was a three-pickup 1948 Airline which was similiar to the Kay Barney Kessel, only smaller. Stevie also aquired a 1958 Gibson dot-neck ES-335 around this same time as well as a Rickenbacker prototype that was later stolen, recovered and then given to Hubert Sumlin as a gift. One of the last guitars that Stevie acquired during his early career was a 1928 National given to him by a roadie named Byron Barr.
Once Stevie’s career was established, the guitars he acquired were primarily Fenders, but were typically modified in a variety of ways. Although each instrument was comprised of stock Fender components, they were rarely the components the guitar shipped with originally. For example, the necks were changed on a regular basis, due to the beatings they recieved from Stevie’s extremely aggressive style of play. Other pieces which were typically changed were pickguards, vibrato bars, saddles, and nuts. Stevie had six main guitars, all of which were modified in at least one of the aforementioned ways. All but one of these guitars had its own unique name. There was “Number One,” “Lenny,” “Main,” “Charley,” “Scotch,” and the last guitar, although it was never given a nickname by Stevie, has been referred to by some as “Yellow,” due to it’s yellow finish.
“Number One” was a 1959 Strat body with a 1962 neck. Stevie received this guitar in 1973 after he traded in his 1963 Strat.
“Lenny” was a brownish 1963 or 1964 Strat that Stevie received in 1976 as a present from his first wife and friends.
“Main,” built by James Hamilton, was a custom Hamiltone Lurktamer. ZZ Top’sBilly Gibbons gave this guitar to Stevie in 1984.
“Charley,” a white customized Strat, was built out of spare parts by Charley Wirz of Charley’s Guitars in Dallas.
“Yellow,” a 1964 Strat with single-coil pickups, was a guitar that was originally owned by a Vanilla Fudge guitarist. This guitar was given to Stevie in 1981 as a gift from Charley Wirz.
“Scotch” was a cream-colored 1963 Strat given to Stevie by Rene Martinez.
The essence of Stevie’s “Number One” Stratocaster was captured by Fender in the release of the SRV Signature Stratocaster following his death in 1990.