SRV's Strats & Amps

Stevie Ray Vaughan is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He was known for his explosive and soulful style, as well as his iconic use of the Fender Stratocaster and Fender Vibroverb amplifiers. In this article, we'll take a closer look at these legendary pieces of gear and how they helped to shape Vaughan's unique sound.

The Fender Stratocaster

Stevie Ray Vaughan was a devoted fan of the Fender Stratocaster. He famously played a number of different models over the course of his career, including a 1963 sunburst Strat, a 1962 Strat, and a custom-built model that he affectionately called "Number One." Let's take a closer look at each of these guitars and what made them so special to Stevie.

The 1963 Sunburst Strat

Vaughan's 1963 sunburst Stratocaster was one of his most beloved guitars. He acquired it in 1980 and played it extensively throughout his career, including on many of his most iconic recordings. The guitar featured a number of modifications that were typical of Vaughan's playing style, including a custom-wound bridge pickup and a modified bridge for improved intonation.What made the 1963 sunburst Strat so special, however, was its tone. Stevie loved the guitar's warm, rich sound, which he achieved by using heavy strings and playing with a lot of attack. He also favoured the guitar's rosewood fingerboard, which provided a smooth playing surface and added to its overall tonal character.

The 1962 Strat

Another one of his favourite Strats was a 1962 model that he acquired in the mid-1980s. This guitar featured a distinctive "slab" rosewood fingerboard, which was thicker than the fingerboards on most other Strats. This gave the guitar a unique playing feel that Vaughan loved.The 1962 Strat also had a special wiring setup that allowed Vaughan to switch between different pickup configurations. This gave him a lot of versatility in terms of his tone, and he often used the guitar's middle pickup for a distinctive "quack" sound.

"Number One"

Perhaps the most famous of Vaughan's Strats was his custom-built "Number One" guitar. This instrument was a Frankenstein's monster of sorts, featuring parts from a variety of different guitars that Vaughan had acquired over the years.The guitar's body was made from ash, while its neck was maple with a rosewood fingerboard. The pickups were custom-wound by Vaughan's guitar tech, Rene Martinez, and the bridge was a vintage-style unit that had been modified for improved intonation. The guitar also had a distinctive "SRV" logo on the headstock, which Vaughan had added himself.What made "Number One" so special to Vaughan was its tone. The guitar had a unique, bright sound that was perfect for his style of playing. He used it extensively throughout his career, and it became one of the most iconic guitars in rock history.

The Fender Vibroverb

In addition to his love for the Stratocaster, Stevie Ray Vaughan was also a big fan of the Fender Vibroverb amplifier. This was a vintage-style tube amp that was based on the classic Fender blackface circuitry of the 1960s.Vaughan used a number of different versions of the Vibroverb over the course of his career, including both the original 1963 model and the reissued version that Fender released in the 1990s. The amp was known for its warm, rich tone, which was perfect for Vaughan's bluesy playing style. Stevie Ray Vaughan's playing was incredibly important to blues music in the 1980s and 1990s. He helped to revitalise the genre, bringing it to a new generation of fans and inspiring countless guitarists with his virtuosic playing style. Vaughan's use of the Fender Stratocaster and Fender Vibroverb amplifiers became iconic, and his influence can still be heard in the playing of many contemporary blues guitarists.