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Star Letter

IT AIN’T WHAT YOU OWN

I bought my first good guitar, a pink Stratocaster, in 1970 from Jack Brand at Sound City in Shaftesbury Avenue in London for £80 (the going rate for a 1964 Strat back then). He and I were in a band called The Factory and he later went on to join Meal Ticket. When I got the guitar, the first thing Jack said was,“Of course, we’ll strip the paint off to natural as it’s currently a very uncool Hank Marvin [Fiesta] red.”

Fast-forward to 1983 and life in Cornwall as a semi-retired musician (I ended up doing eight gigs a week) and the car engine blows up. The only thing we have to sell to get some cash for the car is the guitar, so it was sold for its then-value of £450.

I am now the proud owner of a 1980s Fender Bullet bought at a guitar sale in 1990 for £100 and I have to say, it plays better than the Strat ever did. My guitar students keep telling me to upgrade, but it’s not the make or model, it’s