1957 Fender Stratocaster
Pete Townshend’s 1957 Fender Stratocaster
Pete Townshend’s 1957 Fender Stratocaster — a gift from Eric Clapton in 1973 for Pete’s help with Clapton’s “Comeback” concert at the Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London, in January 1973. Clapton purchased six guitars for $100 each from Sho-Bud in Nashville, Tenn., in 1970 and gave one to George Harrison, one to Steve Winwood and one to Pete, assembling “Blackie” with the remaining three. Pete used this guitar in the studio beginning with 1973’s Quadrophenia and can be seen performing “Secondhand Love” with it in the White City film.
Sold at Oxfam auction in May 2000, first to David Bowie/Pete Townshend/Mick Jagger, who gifted the item to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair; it was returned to auction by Blair and sold for £75,650 to a private collector.
Photo Gallery
Ca. 1981, in the studio.
Ca. 2000, for Oxfam auction, with closeup of headstock (inset).
Ca. 1985, performing with the “Deep End” band in the White City film, with Hiwatt CP103 half stack in background. (Apologies for the poor photo.)
Ca. 1985, with the “Deep End” band, the 1957 Stratocaster on a stand, next to Gretsch Chet Atkins.
Quotes from Pete Townshend on the 1957 Fender Stratocaster
Pete Townshend (May 2000): “Eric gave me this guitar as a gift for helping him do his own charity concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London in 1973. It is one of the instruments made up of various parts left over when he put together the famous ‘Blackie’, apparently still his favourite guitar”.
Pete Townshend (May 12, 2000): “Tony Blair has most generously returned the Eric Clapton guitar to us and we are putting it back into the auction. Thus, the guitar can now be said to have been owned by Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, a syndicate of David Bowie-Mick Jagger-Pete Townshend and Tony Blair while Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Surely few guitars will have such extraordinary provenance?”
Resources and Information
- For more on Clapton’s “Blackie,” see the Clapton Guitar FAQ, www.xs4all.nl/~slowhand/ecfaq/guitars.html.
- Vintage Guitars Info: 1957 Fender Stratocaster: provide.net/~cfh/57strat.html