The Fender Stratocaster: Guitar players who used it

The almighty Fender Stratocaster- the guitar most people think of when they hear the word 'guitars'. The Strat guitar is as inconic a guitar as they come since they were first produced in 1954, as have gone from strength to strength. Lets look at the players who made this axe the legendary guitar that it is today.

• Iron Maiden. All three members of Iron Maiden have at one time or another played with a Fender Stratocaster. Other than Steve Harris, Dave Murray is the only other founding member of Iron Maiden that is still with the band. He used Paul Kosoff of the band 'Free's guitar up until 1990 when he switched to his signature series model. Murray has his own signature model with Seymour Duncan pickups and Floyd rose system on it -both a rarity for a Fender guitar, let alone a Strat. Murray's guitar partner in Maiden Janick Gers also favours the strat and Adrain Smith, although usually photographed with many different guitars also plays Strats.
• Eric Clapton. Ol' 'slow hands' as hes known, has played as many guitars as most people have had hot dinners, using everything from a Gibson Les Paul from his days in Cream and a Telecaster when he was in the Yardbirds. Clapton is most well know for using a Stratocaster - nicknamed 'Blackie' which was used up until 1985, when it was retired. 'Blackie' was sold at auction to raise funds for the 'Crossroads' rehab centre and the guitar was sold for just under a million dollars. Swapping to Fender Strats in '69, Clapton has never gone back or strayed from the path since then.
• Jimi Hendrix. Jimi is considered the greatest guitar player ever after changing the way we use a electric guitar. Hendrix first started playing the Fenders in 1966, and used them mostly for recordings. Hendrix also tried out many different styles of guitars before choosing a Fender Strat, much like Clapton. Hendrix was left handed and took to stringing the guitars in reverse order and playing them upside down, as left handed guitars cost more and were difficult to find. Clapton's present for Jimi's birthday was to be a left handed Stratocaster, which sadly, Jimi never got, dying of an overdose before his birthday. he 1969 Monterey international pop festival performance.

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