In honor of the Fender Stratocaster’s 70th anniversary, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ADRIAN BELEW, MICK MARS, BUDDY GUY, ALEX LIFESON, TOM MORELLO and more discuss THE STRATS they’re holding on classic Guitar World covers

INTERVIEWS BY ANDREW DA LY (EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED) PHOTO BY JEFF FASANO

TO CELEBRATE THE 70thanniversary of the Fender Strat, we’ve put together a special “Strat only” edition of Cover Models. For those who don’t know, Cover Models is a recurring one-page feature (usually found in the Tune-Ups section) where we ask Guitar World cover stars to tell us about the guitars they ’re holding in their cover photos. In addition to the names listed above, we’ve also connected with Robert Cray, Steve Lukather and Los Lonely Boys’ Henry Garza to bring you something that’s truly unique and truly GW — plus bonus “Strat chats” with Nile Rodgers, Ana Popović and Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell. You’ll also notice you’re getting a double shot of Yngwie covers because — as Yngwie always says — more is more!

STRATOCASTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Mick Mars, photographed in Nashville in late 2023 for our April 2024 cover. His 1996 Strat was one of at least five different Strats he brought to the shoot. “It is really an eyegrabber for sure,” he says

Guitarist:

ADRIAN BELEW

Guitar: Fender Strat, precise year unknown (Belew says the serial number is 253265.) GW cover date: May 1982

Where, when and why did you buy this guitar?

I had a plain, natural-finish Stratocaster when I joined Frank Zappa’s band [in late 1977], and I used it only on the American tour because it never made it home. I don’t know if it was stolen or if the airline lost it, but that Strat was never seen again. I had two weeks before we were going to start the European dates [in 1978], and we were going to rehearse in London for 10 days or something. At the time I was in Nashville, where I live now. I went to a local used guitar store and was poking around, and in the back they had this kinda ugly Stratocaster hanging on the wall — like a brown sunburst. [Laughs] I said, ‘How much for this one?’ They said, “It doesn’t have a case, so we’ll give it to you for $285.” A pretty good buy, I thought.

Seymour Duncan used to live where I grew up in Cincinnati, and he was a spectacular guitar player in that area long before I even played out. I called up Seymour when I was back out in California, and I said, “What am I gonna do? I have this ugly-ass guitar.” He said, “I know what to do.” He got in the trunk of his car and took out all these things — files and a screwdriver and spray paint and lighter fluid. He laid it on the lawn, and before I could say anything, he took the lighter fluid out and squirted it on the face of the guitar and set it on fire. I said, “Well, I guess I’m committed now!” [Laughs] It looked just like the beginning of Bonanza. Then he went to work. He dragged it through the grass. He sanded the back of the neck and put motor oil on it. He took screwdrivers and things and chipped some of the stuff off of it. I did the spray paint — a few bits here and there. I’m gonna be bold and say that might be the first relic’ed guitar — and you can thank Seymour Duncan for that.