Mark Knopfler talks about a Fender Stratocaster
There can't be many people who've not fantasised about becoming a guitar hero. Standing proudly onstage, thrashing out blistering power chords loud enough to make the paint peel from the walls. And there are a number of truly great electric guitars that have stood the test of time.
One of the most famous electric guitars is the Fender Stratocaster. Originally designed back in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was the guitar of choice for Jimi Hendrix who played left handed. It's also the instrument chosen by the likes of Eric Clapton and Pete Townsend of the Who. The Fender Stratocaster continues to be as popular today as it ever was and a whole new generation of guitarists are discovering this great, iconic instrument.
Another well known and popular electric guitar from Fender is, of course, the Telecaster. This excellent guitar preceded the Stratocaster having been first produced as the Broadcaster in late 1949. There are many talented and well known guitar players who prefer to play Fender Teles. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is probably one of the most famous guitarists who chooses to play Telecasters.
If we are talking about classic guitars we must of course mention the fantastic Gibson Les Paul. This is another iconic electric guitar that was first produced back in the 1950s and has been in production ever since. Jimmy Page, of Led Zeppelin and Yardbirds fame, is just one guitarist who chose the Gibson Les Paul. A modern day guitarist who is a great exponent of Les Paul is, of course, Slash of Guns 'n' Roses fame.
Since I've mentioned a couple of Fenders its only fair to mention a couple of great Gibsons. I could have chosen the great Gibson ES335, a classic electric guitar, popular with many guitar greats, but instead I've chosen the exceptional Gibson SG. This distinctive looking solid body electric guitar was introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the popular Fender Strat. This is the guitar used by Angus Young of Australian rock band ACDC for all of their well known rock anthems. This is also the guitar used by the great Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath.
There are just so many great guitars but these four are, without doubt, at the top of the list of great electric guitars of our age.
Tags: electric guitars, eric clapton, fender stratocaster, fender telecaster, gibson les paul, gibson SG, jimi hendrix, paul kossoff