Cool. Thanks for clarifying that for me.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Let's see if I remember my Beatles trivia correctly. George was going to by a Strat from someone when the band was in Germany. He told someone from another band what he was going to do and that person tracked down the person with the Strat for sale and bought it out from under George. George used the money to buy the Gretch. When the Beatles became more established they sent their roadie Mal Evens out to buy two Strats one for George and one for John, which they then used to record with. George was a guitar collector and used many types of guitars over the years. Eric Clapton says that he did give George a Strat but I don't remember hearing that story from George's point of view, so I don't know what guitar that was. I belive the Rockie guitar was the first blue one repainted. At that time he and John were doing all kinds of things with the finish, the natural Epi that John uses on Let It Be it the same sunburst one he used a few years before only stripped and with a clear finish applied.

With that being said and if I remembered everything right, George's Strat was stock, and I agree with those who say if it's a stock guitar why have a signature model.

From what I remember of the Strat that came from Nashville,Eric said he bought six and gave George,Steve Winwood and Pete Townsend one each,and kept the others,from those he took the best parts and assembled "Blackie".
He bought those Strats in the Sho-Bud store on Broadway in Nashville around 1970...at that time used Strats here were going for about $ 100-200 apiece....I could have done the same thing,but didn't...I sure wish I had.

According to Andy Babiuk in his "Beatles Gear," George and John sent their roadie, Mal Evans, out to get Strats for them. What he brought back were two identical Strats in Sonic Blue with rosewood fingerboards and white pickguards. George was quoted as saying that he and John played the solo on "Nowhere Man" in unison. They came from a store (in London, I would presume) called Grimwoods.

I understand this to be correct. I think the Clapton gift was later, and was a Sunburst.

The George Harrison tribute guitar I saw was 'stock', but came with a booklet and various other appropriate goodies.
I remember visiting the shop, Coda Music, a while later, and it had a few hundred £s knocked off, as the lower edge of the body was badly bashed.
Made me weep.

I concour. This is where I read the same story behind Rocky.

thats a point of view that i never thought of, makes some sense. if it was stock then there's no "customizing" to it...other than the DayGlo paint job on Rocky which is more cosmic, but custom paint job I guess?

the SRV has the big letters on the pickguard and Texas Special pickups, probably strung high for thick strings if I recall.

Blackie was stock? ...right?

Robert Cray Sig had the hardtail.

Eric Johnson Sig has a lot of specifics, one of the most unique, as I understand it.

What is the qualification for a Signature Strat?

I once had a '65 Sonic Blue Strat,I just wish I had it back!

Whoa! In the 60s?? That was prime time for me and my interest in guitar, but I never once thought of George Harrison. I don't think any of the guys I was in bands with back then did either.

I was too busy thinking about The Ventures, Johnny Rivers, Carl Perkins, Duane Eddy, Jimi Freakin' Hendrix, Peter Townsend, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, The Easybeats, Steppenwolf, The Surfaris, The Kinks, John Fogerty, The Byrds, Eric Clapton, Blue Cheer, Frijid Pink, Paul Revere & The Raiders; geez, even the Monkees (Last Train To Clarksville's guitar was awesome!)... and the list goes on and on.

I never noticed George as he was always behind those other guys, John and Paul, and in the 60s, I really didn't notice them all that much.

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Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

My interest in playing the guitar was primarily begun because of the influence of Duane Eddy in the late '50's, when i was about 12 years old. Later on, the Ventures certainly had an influence, and even later, the record "Pipeline" by the Chantays lit me up. But the influence of the Beatles certainly sent me over the top.

I've met about a dozen guys in my life, who told me that their first guitar purchase was February 10, 1964, the Monday following the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

No doubt that many players have been influenced by many different individuals and groups, but I'm sure that the Beatles were enormously influential in their time.