February 1965 saw Beatles roadie Mal Evans purchase Stratocasters at George Harrison and John Lennon’s behest. Although Harrison’s recollection placed this amidst the Rubber Soul sessions, The Beatles were in fact recording Help! at the time, as proven by photographic evidence of Lennon at Abbey Road with one of the sonic blue pair that Evans obtained.

Nowhere Man is probably the most overt example of a Stratocaster on a Beatles recording: George and John are playing their Fenders in unison.

Harrison’s Strat – neck plate dated December 1961 – would later undergo a psychedelic makeover and become known as ‘Rocky’.

Post-Beatles, George chose a white Stratocaster (pictured) for the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh that some have speculated was assembled from the same haul of parts that yielded Eric Clapton’s Blackie.

Next page: Jeff Healey

...