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Musikmesse 2010: Clapton's Blackie and SRV's Lenny in pictures

News
By Chris Vinnicombe published 24 March 2010

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Not just any old vintage guitars...

Not just any old vintage guitars...

The Burst Brothers, Dave Belzer and Andrew Berlin, are celebrities in the world of vintage guitar collecting. Although famed for their love of 'bursts - 1958-60 sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standards to be precise - their presence at the International Vintage Show at Frankfurt Musikmesse 2010 is setting Stratocaster lovers' pulses racing.

Why? They've flown over to Germany two of the most valuable and famous electric guitars in the history of popular music: Stevie Ray Vaughan's Lenny and Eric Clapton's Blackie. Priceless? Nearly. Certainly the list of classic recordings on which these Fenders have featured is too long to list here.

MusicRadar was lucky enough to get inside the glass case in which the Strats are housed at the show and get up close and personal with two of the most important instruments in the history of electric blues, still strung with the original strings played by their former owners, battle-scarred and oozing vibe. What follows is vintage guitar porn of the most hardcore kind. Proceed with caution......

Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11
Lenny

Lenny

Page 2 of 11
Page 2 of 11
Scratchplate detail

Scratchplate detail

Page 3 of 11
Page 3 of 11
Headstock

Headstock

Page 4 of 11
Page 4 of 11
Bridge inlay

Bridge inlay

Page 5 of 11
Page 5 of 11
Around the back

Around the back

Page 6 of 11
Page 6 of 11
Blackie

Blackie

Page 7 of 11
Page 7 of 11
Fingerboard detail

Fingerboard detail

Page 8 of 11
Page 8 of 11
Headstock

Headstock

Page 9 of 11
Page 9 of 11
Blackie's back

Blackie's back

Page 10 of 11
Page 10 of 11
And then the glass case was locked...

And then the glass case was locked...

To find out more about the Burst Brothers and their love for all things vintage, visit the official Burst Brothers website.

Stayed tuned to MusicRadar for more vintage guitar porn from the International Vintage Show at Frankfurt Musikmesse 2010.

Page 11 of 11
Page 11 of 11
Chris Vinnicombe

Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.

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