Never before have we offered such groundbreaking benchmarks. All information is based on Gibson's own documents and literature. * The different stages of evolution of the electric guitar, with detailed speci fications of all models introduced up to 1961. The problem is getting a good, steady supply, and I think it is inevitable that high-end pieces will continue to increase. Custom Colors are also very popular, with Fiesta Red, Sonic Blue and Olympic White being among the favourites. I’m sure the new Stevie Ray Vaughn Tribute Strat will be a great success, and we have already had several people asking for more information. J.W. Black was a leading guitar repairman in New York City at the time. He recalled: “In the early ’80s, Fender was pretty much off the radar as far as my clients and players were concerned, at least in New York. The instrument has hardly changed in the 50 years that it has produced Buddy Holly hits, the blues riffs of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the soulful sounds of Eric Clapton, the shimmering tone of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, the sound of Joe Walsh of the Eagles, and the melodies of Jeff Beck. At the dawn of the Schultz era, things began to come back into focus, and in 1985, with Schultz and his investors now owning the company, Fender faced one of its most daunting design challenges yet: Build a better Stratocaster. Not a reissue, not a cost cutter, not a “Cadillac,” not an import — just a basic U.S. Strat. "It's an American rock 'n' roll icon. There is no more recognizable guitar in contemporary music than the Strat". You don’t mess with an icon. Buy Guitar Handed Left.