How David Gilmour acquired #0001, one of the first-ever Fender Strats
Jimmy Page’s double-necked Gibson SG, Jimi Hendrix’s white Fender Stratocaster, Kurt Cobain’s Fender Jag-stang: the world of rock music is full of iconic guitars. As the lead guitarist of one of the most popular psychedelic outfits of the 1960s and ’70s, David Gilmour is the owner of a fair few of them. Here he tells the story of his beloved #0001 Stratocaster.
The guitar takes its name from the serial number printed on its back: “#0001”. This has led many to assume that it was the very first Stratocaster made by Fender. It was certainly one of the first, having been manufactured in the inaugural year of 1954. However, the first-ever Stratocaster was printed with the serial 0100 and is owned by vintage guitar collector and owner of Gruhn’s Guitars, George Gruhn.
David Gilmour first bought “0001” in the late ’70s from one of Pink Floyd’s guitar techs, Phil Taylor, who bought the guitar a few years before from Seymour Duncan, the famous luthier and guitarist. Phil purchased the instrument for $900 but told it to Gilmour for just $600, a very good deal indeed. At that time, Gilmour was lending money to the guitar tech so he could buy a house. Speaking to Guitar Magazine in 1986, Gilmour recalled: “Eventually, Phil wanted to borrow some money to buy a house, so I blackmailed him! I said the only way I’d lend him the money to buy the house, was if he sold me the white Strat…”
Being a bit of a collector’s item, Gilmour rarely used #0001 for live performances. However, he did use it in a few recording sessions, including the 1978 sessions for his self-titled debut album, which marked the first time he was spotted with the guitar. Some have suggested that he used #0001 for a live promotional video in 1978, but he actually used his perenially reliable Black Stratocaster.
Gilmour later used #0001 on Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall, using it to record his guitar line on ‘Another Brick In The Wall, Pt. 2’. The guitar was, rather unusually, plugged directly into the mixing console, removing the need for amps and mics. The solo, on the other hand, was recorded using a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop. #0001 was also used on Wing’s 1979 album Back to the Egg, most famously on the song ‘Glad To See You Here’. It also features on Bryan Ferry’s ‘Is Your Love Strong Enough?’ In 1991, he pulled it out yet again to record with former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff Baxter. Its last known outing was in 2004 when Gilmour performed at Fender’s Strat Pack concert in celebration of the Stratocaster’s 50th anniversary.
