Mark Knopfler picks his favourite guitars
Like any guitarist of his calibre, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits drew inspiration from a broad range of stylistic backgrounds. An early fascination with rhythm and blues music of the 1950s and ‘60s most heavily influenced his instrumental approach. Growing up in Blyth during this period, Knopfler was first exposed to Elvis Presley and soon became enamoured with guitarists like Chet Atkins and B.B. King.
Throughout his career, Knopfler has explored various styles and a fine armoury of guitars to boot, though never straying too far from his beloved roots in the blues. Picturing Knopfler in the mind’s eye, it’s difficult not to see him with his iconic headband and red Stratocaster. This versatile Fender model played a crucial role in achieving the tone heard throughout much of Dire Straits’ material.
It’s easy to see why Knopfler chose his classic body, but why red? Following his early fascination with Chet Atkins and B.B. King, Knopfler became enamoured with Hank B. Marvin, the British guitarist accompanying Cliff Richard in the Shadows.
After seven years of soaring success with Dire Straits, Knopfler found himself playing in front of a packed-out audience at London’s Wembley Arena during the Brothers In Arms tour. Knopfler paid tribute to one of his guitar heroes during the performance by welcoming him to the stage for a jam.
Knopfler explained that he begged his father for a Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster just like Marvins when he was a child. Unfortunately, they were particularly expensive models, so instead, his father bought him a £50 twin-pick-up Höfner Super Solid for his first axe in the early 1960s.
At Wembley in 1985, Knopfler welcomed his guitar hero to the stage, announcing proudly: “All I wanted was a red electric guitar, and the only reason I wanted a red electric guitar was because of the sound made by one of my all-time favourite guitar players. And I still wish I could get a guitar to sound the way he gets it to sound. And he actually recorded this tune, so he knows it. So here he is, one of the all-time favourites, the man himself, Hank B. Marvin!”
In the documentary feature below, Knopfler discusses some of his favourite guitars, performing some classic riffs and spinning absorbent yarn. Naturally, his red Stratocaster gets a central mention as he describes the instrument as “my lust object as a child.”
