The David Gilmour 'Black Strat': A Short History

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Just squeaking outside of "Strat-ober" I've planned to make this for a long time. I guess we're into "Strat-vember" now eh?
I've been playing the new American Vintage II '61 Strat for the last few weeks and I'm surprised at how much I get along with this vintage radius fingerboard and frets. With a lighter body (this guitar is just over 8lbs) the guitar might take up long term residence here. And that's sent me down the rabbit hole to looking at all my favorite wielders of the Stratocaster. More to come.
Thanks for checking it out. I love this story.
Keith

[lionofnaples]

Basically the greatest partscaster of all time

[Sals]

The fact that THE Black Strat was just on display in a Hard Rock cafe in Miami where people could touch it is truly bizarre. Did not know that fact. Great video Keith.

[Chrisdrumz]

6:20 The album was MEDDLE. "Echoes" was the final song on it.

[zachhaywood]

David Gilmour is one of those players who I can say his playing truly hypnotizes me. Not even joking, I get so lost in it.

[BuckBarker]

In the sixties my third guitar I owned was a used 1957 sunburst strat with a maple neck. I practiced and played so much, I wore the lacquer off of much of the neck. It fit my hand and the feel of it was like an extension of my body. I was 15 yrs old when it was stolen from me. This event, along with losing my best friend to a car accident devastated me for years. Eventually coming to grips with these losses, I spent most of the rest of my life trying to achieve the same bond with an instrument. After owning hundreds of guitars through out my life, I’ve come close many times, but have never been able to duplicate the exact feel and playability. I now have and play other instruments, which I have a great fondness and appreciation for, but that one will haunt me until I pass.

[Willl_b_]

Gilmour's playing is why i started playing guitar like many other people. riding along in the car with my mom as a little kid and hearing the solos in the songs Time, Comfortably Numb and Have a Cigar i was blown away and i had to have a guitar and learn how to play them

[EricTheCleric]

Live at Pompeii changed everything I wanted out of a guitar tone. Much to Gilmour's disdain, especially since it was before even Dark Side came out, I think it was the best sound he ever got.
Black Strat, Fuzz Face, Echorec.

[mattrudybass]

Minor correction, Henry didn't own Manny's at the time. When Manny passed, his wife Julia (my great-grandmother owned it) and it was run by her, Helen (Manny's daughter) and Henry and the rest of the fam.

[stephanematis]

So many emotions and memories are linked to songs that black Strat played. Boy oh boy, what a legacy.

[valuedhumanoid]

This was the first guitar I hand built from Warmoth parts. I selected EVERY component as close as possible to the real one. I stopped when the guitar was at it's perfect state. Meaning I didn't try to relic it like Dave's. I wanted to put honest wear on it. Aside from that, I did pretty good. I did take it to a professional to have the frets leveled and crowned and setup. The NOS Fender Custom Shop version was $7k. All told, with the labor I spent $1200. It's still my number one and that's been 12 years ago

[andyharman]

The black Strat has been legend for decades. I bought my musician brother a coffee-table book about Gilmour's black Strat for Christmas maybe 15 years ago, and he loved it. Black Strats Matter.

[toms]

Been waiting on this one for a while, and while the story has been told several times on different channels it's still something special to hear again. I've got to see Gilmour on the 2016 Rattle That Lock tour and there had been some speculation whether or not he used the original or a Custom Shop for the tour but I think he was adamant it was the original, although citing that the Customs are impossible to distinguish when playing. My wife bought me a Black FSR Fender Strat for my 30th birthday that was already pretty Gimourish with a black/white/Black pickguard I had to go ahead and change it up with a flat black and installed Seymour Duncan pickups. It's a bit cliche to do a tribute but I wouldn't have started playing if it wasn't for Gilmour and his Black Strat, and it's been one of my favorites for 3 years now.

[tattoo]

I love david. He is a master !! I love watching him play !! I get lost in his playing. I love it !!

[aaronwebb]

Thanks Keith. This one was huge, and you did a great job.

Hope you feel well again soon.

[CristiNeagu]

14:14 Here's my (somewhat, sorta, but not quite) related story.
I've been a fan of David Gilmour's playing ever since I picked up a guitar. Years ago I bought a black Yamaha (the colour was a coincidence), and it's been my only guitar since. Over the years I've been trying to get it closer to the Black Strat, trying things out and seeing what fits my style. At the start of this year, after completely stripping the electronics, converting it from HSS to SSS, I decided that the cheap trem block it came fitted with had to go. So I was I set my eyes on a Callaham block. Problem was that this being a Yamaha I had no idea if one would fit or not. The ones for MIM Strats seemed to fit, at least on paper.

So off I went looking for a guitar store in the UK that had a Callaham trem in stock that I could hold and check against the guitar. After a short search it turned out that the only place in the UK at the time that had a MIM Callaham block in stock was this shop I have never heard of called Charlie Chandler's Guitar Experience. Fancy name, I thought. Sounded familiar, but couldn't place it. So off I went, guitar in hand. turns out Charlie is a really great and humble guy. When I told him what I was looking for, he offered to try and install the trem in my guitar to see if it fits. It did (except for the screws - the Callaham ones are longer since a Strat is thicker than a Yamaha). When I told him that I also want to try the short trem arm that Callaham offer he even gave me some tips about conversations he had with Phil Taylor on the topic. Him mentioning Phil Taylor kinds piqued my interest. Either way, got my trem, got on home, and fitted it that very night. Worked perfectly.

A week or two later I found myself on Gilmourish, reading some random stuff about the Black Strat. And lo and behold I see Charlie Chandler's name. Needless to say, I felt a bit frustrated that I had no idea who I was talking with. Been making plans to go back there again, but it is kinda out of the way. But I think it was quite a coincidence that I found myself with my wannabe Black Strat interpretation, getting help with my trem from the same guy that worked on the trem for the actual Black Strat. It's completely meaningless at the end of the day, but I think it's cool. Now I like to think that some of the magic of the Black Strat rubbed off on my guitar.

[darrellcooper]

Thank you very much, David Gilmore is my fav musician of all time. Been following since 67, roughly. Umaguma, I I just bought a new used guit fiddle. Peace

[HydianWay]

Watching this channel is like hanging out with my friends. . . talking about guitars. . .

[SalmonFume]

Videos like these remind me how much I love music, guitars, and the stories behind it.

Both me and my dad used to listen to Gilmour's music together, drinking beers and talking nonsense.

I Needed that. Lifts my spirits. This video is a piece of art and very much appreciated.

[ginoames]

This is great. I love the Black Strat for so many reasons. I dig it when an artist is attached to that one guitar.

[livelikeus]

Didn’t realize patrons were treating Gilmore’s legendary strat like an appetizer at the rock and roll cafe taking components from it. Great video! As always🍿