Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
UK EditionUK US EditionUS AU EditionAustralia SG EditionSingapore
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
More
  • Christine McVie's masterpiece
  • Macca vs Phil Collins
  • Music theory tricks
  • Kiss From a Rose
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Yes
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

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

News
By Chris Vinnicombe
Published 24 March 2010

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

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.

Latest in Electric Guitars
MusicRadar Guitar Gear Round-up July 2026
Guitars MusicRadar’s July 2026 guitar gear roundup: featuring Orange Amps, Harley Benton, Epiphone and more
 
 
Harley Benton Aged Series
Guitars Harley Benton is making hand-aged relic'd guitars for under 250 bucks
 
 
Gretsch Streamliner CVT
Guitars Gretsch puts high-gain sounds on the menu as it adds the $249 CVT to entry-level Streamliner series
 
 
A Charvel Type 2 Tele headstock with an inset of the company's founder, the late Wayne Charvel, who died on 12 July
Guitars Remembering Wayne Charvel, visionary luthier and Superstrat pioneer
 
 
Yamaha Pacifica and Fender Stratocaster
Guitars Now Fender hits Yamaha with a cease-and-desist as it widens legal campaign over Stratocaster copyright
 
 
Gibson Custom VOS Reissue 1971 Flying V Medallion
Guitars Gibson unveils Custom Shop reissue of a Michael Schenker and Kirk Hammett favourite
 
 
Latest in News
HeadRush unveils Prime, “the most powerful, versatile, and realistic-sounding floorboard FX processor ever”
Guitars HeadRush rolls out Tone3000 integration and native support for NAM captures to its amp modellers
 
 
Directly above view of vinyl record isolated on yellow background
Recording A Pressing Matter: Suno to launch its own bespoke vinyl pressing and shipping service
 
 
Chris Payton shows Planet Guitar his Collings I-35, a gift from Bruno Mars
Artists Chris Payton reveals his rig for Bruno Mars stadium shows
 
 
David Rivkin Prince
Artists Prince collaborator David Z, who helped create one of his biggest hits, has died, aged 78
 
 
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Raphael Saadiq performs onstage during the 98th Oscars at Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Artists “I don’t want any undos. There’s no ‘undo’ in good music": Raphael Saadiq on why he records to tape
 
 
Tony Iommi and Brian May pictured together in 2006.
Guitarists Tony Iommi on Brian May’s cameo on his new solo album and why the Queen guitarist is its only guest
 
 

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...