Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Artist news
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Guitar Amps
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Radiohead theory
  • Steely Dan's drum machine
  • Deep Purple in the dungeon
  • Prince's drummers
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
A Fender Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster on a white piece of wood with lots of holes in it
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Electric Guitars Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Artists Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
Artists How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
Brian May and Freddie Mercury in 1980
Artists “I have none of that high-speed technical skill of a Steve Vai or a Joe Satriani”: How Brian May plays off instinct
Fender American Ultra Luxe 60s Stratocaster
Electric Guitars Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage '60s Stratocaster review
John McLaughlin
Artists “I don’t have many guitar players’ albums on my iPhone, but Jeff is there”: John McLaughlin on the magic of Jeff Beck
Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck
Artists Carlos Santana on what made Jeff Beck a guitar great, and getting into character to cover Michael Jackson
Mark Knopfler
Artists "I did everything wrong, but I think they’re perfect notes”: Mark Knopfler's favourite guitar solo
Fender American Ultra Luxe Vintage Series
Guitars Fender mixes old-school mojo with 21st-century playability for the American Ultra Luxe Vintage range
Otoha holds a blue Fender Strat in a staged setting with neon pink and blue lights overhead.
Artists IDLES, Wet Leg and Sam Fender all graduated from the Fender Next programme – meet its Class of 2025
Orbit Culture's guitarists
Electric Guitars Orbit Culture show us their ESP guitars – and tell us why the EverTune bridge is a game-changer
Kirk Hammett plays his Mummy ESP onstage with Metallica. In the middle of this comp'd image is the Thinline custom Triplecaster Hammett commissioned then gifted to White. On the right, White plays his Fender Triplecaster with the yellow pickguard.
Artists Kirk Hammett orders up custom version of Jack White’s Triplecaster – and gets one for White, too
The newly refreshed Classic Series from Squier reworks vintage Fender-inspired electric and bass guitars for beginners and budget-conscious players.
Guitars Squier channels the Fender archive for 10 stunning yet affordable news Classic Vibe models
A guitar VST running in Kontakt player on a computer
Plugins Best guitar VSTs 2025: Get the best simulated guitar tones for your next production
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

The best Stratocaster players of all time

News
By Rob Power published 16 June 2014

As voted for by you

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

The best Stratocaster players of all time

The best Stratocaster players of all time

60 DAYS OF STRAT: The Fender Stratocaster is many things: a design masterpiece; an object of desire; an American classic; but first and foremost, it's an instrument built for players to express themselves musically as never before.

Don't Miss

• The 10 best Stratocasters: our pick of the best Strat guitars
•
Stratocaster vs Telecaster: which is right for you?

With that in mind, we set out to establish a roster of the finest players ever to have strapped on a Strat and jammed the pickup selector switch in between the first and second position. We ran a series of polls giving you the opportunity to choose your favourite Strat players through the ages, and you voted - in your thousands.

So without further ado, follow this link to find out who you voted the very best Stratocaster players of the 1950s.

Click through our gallery for links to the results for every decade right up to the present day...

Page 1 of 6
Page 1 of 6
The best Stratocaster players of the 1960s

The best Stratocaster players of the 1960s

Click here to see who you voted the best Stratocaster players of the 1960s.

Page 2 of 6
Page 2 of 6
The best Stratocaster players of the 1970s

The best Stratocaster players of the 1970s

Click here to see who you voted the best Stratocaster players of the 1970s.

Page 3 of 6
Page 3 of 6
The best Stratocaster players of the 1980s

The best Stratocaster players of the 1980s

Click here to see who you voted the best Stratocaster players of the 1980s.

Page 4 of 6
Page 4 of 6
The best Stratocaster players of the 1990s

The best Stratocaster players of the 1990s

Click here to see who you voted the best Stratcoaster players of the 1990s.

Page 5 of 6
Page 5 of 6
The best Stratocaster players of the 21st century

The best Stratocaster players of the 21st century

Click here to see who you voted the best Stratocaster players of the 21st century.

Page 6 of 6
Page 6 of 6
Rob Power
Read more
A Fender Player II Stratocaster and Telecaster on a white piece of wood with lots of holes in it
Best electric guitars under $1,000/£1,000 in 2025: My top picks for players of all styles
 
 
Close up of Squier Classic Vibe '50s Telecaster
Best electric guitars under $500/£500 in 2025: Affordable electrics
 
 
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
 
 
Dickey Betts [left] and Warren Haynes trade licks onstage with the Allman Brothers Band at the 1993 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Haynes's Strat would soon be stolen in New York.
How Warren Haynes turned to Les Pauls after his favourite Strat was stolen
 
 
Brian May and Freddie Mercury in 1980
“I have none of that high-speed technical skill of a Steve Vai or a Joe Satriani”: How Brian May plays off instinct
 
 
Fender American Ultra Luxe 60s Stratocaster
Fender Ultra Luxe Vintage '60s Stratocaster review
 
 
Latest in Electric Guitars
Jackson Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas: these retro S-styles take the high-performance electric guitar brand back to the '80s, offering single and dual-humbucker platforms for shred with the choice of rosewood or maple fingerboards – and what about that "Two-Face" black-and-white finish?
“These guitars empower metal artists with the authentic, crushing tone that built Jackson’s legendary reputation”: Jackson takes us back to the heyday of shred with the Pro Origins 1985 San Dimas series – and what about that Two Face finish?
 
 
PRS S2 Mira 594: lined up against a PRS head and cab, the relaunched and refreshed Mira 594 is presented in blue, Matcha Green, red and Antique White
“I don’t think it found its true voice until now”: Revived, refreshed, PRS adds the Mira 594 to the S2 range
 
 
Rick Graham is photographed in a dark setting with a warm stagelight in the background; he holds his new signature electric guitar, a shell-pink S-style with a reverse headstock
Charvel and Rick Graham team up for Pro-Mod signature model with relic'd nitro cult colour finish
 
 
Jackson Pro Series Limited Edition Phil Demmel KV King V: the V-style electric is finished in black-and-white polka dots, and looks good in all settings, against a white background or barroom scene alike.
Jackson and Phil Demmel salute Randy Rhoads with limited run Pro Series King V in polka dot finish
 
 
The Sterling By Music Man Kaizen is a more affordable version of the Animals As Leaders guitarist Tosin Abasi's signature model, and is offered here in Firemist Purple Satin and Stealth Black.
Sterling By Music Man unveils affordable version of Tosin Abasi’s futuristic Kaizen signature model
 
 
Brian Wampler playing his Telecaster
“It’s analogous to Napster”: Brian Wampler on threat of digital disruption to pedal and tube amp market
 
 
Latest in News
Jon Batiste
Jon Batiste answers the internet’s piano queries and agrees with one potentially controversial musical statement
 
 
Flava D in the studio
Flava D on why drum & bass is the toughest genre to produce
 
 
SCM All Stars logo
“I’m so grateful that our music can be a vehicle for their spirits to fly”: Students at Flea’s music school pay tribute to Chili Peppers
 
 
Musician Dave Grohl, founding member of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters
“Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome Ilan Rubin”: Dave Grohl introduces new drummer at Foos secret gig
 
 
Brian May
“I missed a couple of things": Brian May critiques his Last Night of the Proms performance
 
 
Mk.pre
Audio Hertz's Mk.pre emulates the Tascam Portastudio preamp that colours Mk.gee's sought-after guitar tone
 
 

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

  • 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...