What Kind of Strat Is That?

Dispelling A Few Misconceptions About David Gilmour's 'Cheap' Guitars.

By Richard Mahon

In this column, I'll be examining Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's gear and playing techniques from a musician's point of view. Please feel free to e-mail me with questions and ideas for future articles at RichM66@Compuserve.com if you feel you have an idea that readers of Spare Bricks might find of interest. Past articles are posted here.

In an Echoes digest from a few months ago Michael Teige brought up a rather common topic: "I've always wondered exactly what make/model of Stratocaster David is playing in Pompeii."

The guitar used at Pompeii is in fact the same era of guitars, 1967-71 Fender Stratocasters, that David Gilmour used from the time he joined Pink Floyd in 1968 to his 1984 studio sessions for About Face.

How many times have we seen the question--"What kind of guitar does David Gilmour use?" 99 times out of 100 the answer is his 1984 '57 Re-issue Stratocaster. While this may be correct for the About Face tour, the recording sessions and tours for A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and The Division Bell it does not cover the numerous albums and tours that preceded them.

Michael Tiege continued: "My sister's boyfriend who plays guitar took a look at the video and dubbed it 'A cheap piece of shit!' He was surprised that he would have been playing such a crappy Strat."

After CBS purchased Fender in 1965, it was generally considered that the quality of the guitars diminished as the years passed. There are some great CBS Strats and there are some from the later '70s have been labeled as bad guitars.

The initial CBS Stratocasters from 1965 and 1966 are referred to as "transition era" Stratocasters. Then, beginning in 1967, Fender/CBS produced the guitars that were considered the best. Most notably, Jimi Hendrix preferred these guitars to pre-CBS Stratocasters that are now considered very valuable.

All CBS Stratocasters from the late '60s to the '70s are identified by their large headstock and large Fender Stratocaster logo. The Stratocasters made from 1967-71 have a single string tree, a 4-bolt neck and the truss rod adjustment is at the bottom of the neck. In 1972 Fender/CBS put a bullet truss rod at the top of the guitar and changed to a 3-bolt neck. In 1973 they added a 2nd string tree, The 3-bolt necks are considered a major drawback. This is why some of the CBS Strats from the '70s are considered "crap."

From the time he joined the band until his first solo tour in 1984 David Gilmour also played 1967-71 era Fender Strats. Check the live photographs closely and for the most part you'll see the descriptions match--a large headstock/logo and a single string tree in almost every instance. On rare occasions he would use a pre-CBS Fender Strat from 1960-64.

We can also see Gilmour playing a black Stratocaster with white pickups and knobs during the About Face tour. This guitar can be seen clearly on the David Gilmour Live 1984 video shot at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, March 30, 1984. The guitar underwent many changes by the time it was used for that tour. A new neck with 22 frets and a Kahler tremolo system had been added.

			Pictures of Gilmour with 1967-71 era Fender Stratocasters - Live At Pompeii (below) in 1971 and The Wall in 1980 (left).