My Red Stratocaster Guitar

Over the years, I've been asked many times about the red Fender Stratocaster, which has been my primary electric guitar for over 35 years. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I am neither knowledgeable nor fussy about guitars. I even had to look up the year and exact model of the guitar I'm writing about, which, as it turns out, is a 1988 Eric Clapton Fender Stratocaster with Lace Sensor "Gold" pickups. 

Eric Clapton's name had absolutely nothing to do with the choice of the guitar. I know that Eric Clapton is a talented player with a signature style and tone, but he's not my cup of tea stylistically. As a person, he's very much not my cup of tea. I won't provide a complete list of my reasons, but you can start by searching for "Eric Clapton 1976 racist stage rant." I scratched his signature off the headstock of the guitar years ago.

The truth is, the guitar I've been playing for 35+ years is not the one I would have personally chosen to buy or play. The decision to ditch my preferred model, a Fender Telecaster, was made by Paul Smith, the Gear Daddies' long-time soundman and road manager.

At the start, Randy and I were both playing Fender Telecasters (Randy also played a Fender Esquire, which is very similar). It’s rare, especially with rock bands, to see two Telecasters on stage, and there’s a reason for that. Telecasters (generally speaking) have a bright, clean tone, and two playing at once can sound buzzy and abrasive. Paul was having a near-impossible time getting a good live sound for us, and he made it clear: one of us had to switch to a different guitar.

There was never any doubt that it would be me. I’m a rhythm player and not a great one. I can make any guitar sound as bad as the next. Randy was the lead guitarist and elder statesman of the group. Plus, his guitar was vintage and sounded fantastic. And, by golly, I’m a team player.

The timing of the switch was good. Our label had just ponied up some cash for new gear and road cases for an upcoming tour to support Billy’s Live Bait. It was agreed that Paul would decide on which guitar to buy (as long as the neck was wide, made of maple, and the body wasn’t some goofy shape). 

We headed to Benedict Guitars* on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis, where we were friends with the manager, Andy Wolf, a Twin Cities musician, luthier, and guitar collector. He knew what we were looking for sound-wise and was familiar with the Gear Daddies’ overall vibe. He immediately recommended the Stratocaster.   

It was a relatively high-end model with a low serial number, so the price tag was high (for us). But Paul liked the sound, and it met my limited criteria, so our manager wrote the check. 

At some point in the first couple of years, a small chip appeared on the face of the guitar. I would continually dig at the spot with my guitar pick, and more and more of the white primer beneath the red topcoat began to appear. When a second ding showed up, I did the same thing. That opened the floodgates. It became an open season to chip and carve into the paint. At some point, our guitar tech Larry carved “You Rök” in large letters on the back. The final desecration occurred when I partially sanded the front down to remove some drops of dried superglue. Needless to say, the guitar is no longer in mint condition.

Not that it matters. I would never sell it. Unlike most of my guitars, I have a sentimental attachment to it. It’s been my main electric guitar since 1990. It’s the guitar I played on Letterman (it was shiny and new!). There are photos of me playing it in Rolling Stone, Musician, the LA Times, and many more publications I never would have dared dream I’d appear in. 

Over the years, I’ve dabbled with switching to something different, but I’ve grown accustomed to the sound, the neck, and how the body saddles into the crook of my arm. I’m also lazy and not very picky.

* I just wanted to note that spell correct turned “Benedict Guitars” into “Benedict Goiters.” I thought about leaving it “goiters” but decided that might be confusing. It’s a pity because Benedict Goiters is the more interesting choice.