1959/62/63 Custom Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One"® Replica

Click for Stevie Ray Vaughn Full Bio

 

SRV’s beat-up mongrel Fender Stratocaster is easily recognized as "the most famous battered Strat in rock history".   He obtained the guitar in 1973 in a trade-in of his first Strat, the 1963 he purchased in 1969.   According to Stevie, he saw the Strat in Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music, in Austin and knew that this 3-color tobacco-sunburst, used Strat was, just by looking at it, the guitar for him. 

Number One is presently under the care of brother Jimmie Vaughan, safely locked away in a vault along with all of Stevie’s other guitars, pedals and amps.   If Number One is ever sold it will most certainly become one of the most valuable guitars ever sold…

1959/62/63 Fender Stratocaster "Number One" (Images #3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9)

• SRV's main guitar, the legendary “Number One”, was a 1959/62/63 Fender Stratocaster hybrid originally owned by fellow Austin guitarist Christopher Cross.  Constructed as a hybrid of a 1962 solid alder body, a 1963 maple neck and 1959 stock Fender single-coil pickups, it was finished in 3 color tobacco sunburst with black pickguard and white pickups.  The neck was an oddly-shaped rosewood D-neck, very large, which fit Stevie's large hands like a glove.  SRV loved this guitar so much that he often referred to it as his “first wife” before he settled on “Number One”. 
• The guitar originally came with a stock, early-sixties style white pickguard, and a right-handed vibrato unit.  Over the years, Stevie replaced the pickguard (several times) with a black pickguard and added his "SRV" initials in iridescent lettering of several styles.
• The vibrato was replaced with a gold left-handed unit sometime around 1977.  This was the beginning of Stevie's "Hendrix period."  Since Jimi Hendrix and Otis Rush played a right-handed guitar turned "upside down," therefore putting the vibrato bar on top, Stevie emulated this by installing a left-handed vibrato unit in Number One.  He also felt it gave him better access to the bar, but did remark that several times, during especially manic performances, it fairly well tore half his sleeve off when he got caught-up on it. Stevie normally used four or five springs in this unit, and had the pivot plate pulled tight against the body.  This meant he could only push the bar, and not pull up on it.  
• Another significant change from stock were the installation of jumbo bass-style frets. This added to the sustain, and gave Stevie added ability to bend the strings with the enormous strings that he used. 
• SRV used amazingly thick strings: Hi E .013-.018 / Low E .060-.074!  (for comparison, most guitars use .009-.042, or .010-.046 strings). There's even a widespread account about SRV's propensity to use super glue on his fingertips to re-attach torn shards of skin! 
• After Fender dissected the guitar for inspection in 2003, they noticed the pickups were exceptionally underwound.  This allowed for more clarity and detail with less crunch.  Stevie loved this aspect of his guitar. The neck was the hottest pickup with the other two pickups being relatively weak. The treble was clipped off a ton by a particular way of copper foil wrapping and grounding called shorted turn.  Stevie’s shorted turn / shielded pickups helped to mellow out the typical Strat brightness.
• One often overlooked aspects of Stevie’s pickup setup is the pickup height.  Stevie used a relatively high action and low pickup height combination.  If you go back and watch some live shows, you will see that his pickups are almost flat with the pickguard.  So what does this do?  This prevents the sound from driving the amps front end too aggressively making the sound less booming.  That being said, he was often messing with the pickup height especially early in his career.  This is just the setup he most often used.
• The finish of Number One became progressively more beaten up as the years went by.  Stevie would pound, scrape, kick, stand on, and otherwise torture the guitar during his performances.  Eventually it developed a quarter-inch gouge just above the pickguard where Stevie's manic strumming continually bashed it.  There probably was not a square inch of lacquer remaining by 1990.  That certainly did not detract from the wonderful sounds it made.  All of these attributes of Number One gave Stevie his distinctive, signature tone.

Stevie Ray Vaughn's Guitars

 

1965 Fender Stratocaster Stevie Ray Vaughan "Lenny"  sold in 2004 Christies to Guitar Center for $623,500  (Image #8)

 

John Mayer's 1996 Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster  (Image #15)

• Stevie Ray Vaughan was an early influencer of John Mayer
• The Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster was John Mayer’s first serious electric guitar 
• "This one I bought from the money I made working at a gas station, and I traded in a Takamine twelve-string and a Mesa-Boogie distortion pedal. I think I paid around $900 as the difference. I bought it in 1996, and this thing has so many little stories on it. […] This has been in my bedroom when I was nineteen, practicing guitar playing, and Madison Square Garden, and Tokyo, and television shows… This is the representation of of the places I’ve been." - John Mayer 2013
• In 1998, John swapped the original black SRV inscribed pickguard for the Tortoise shell one seen in Image 11 in the Gallery.
• He used this guitar while attended Berklee, then in Atlanta with his band Lo-Fi Masters that he formed with his former college classmate, Clay Cookand.
• John continued using this guitar in the studio to record his  when he acquired his 2004 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt Tribute Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Stratocaster
• Mayer still owns and plays it occasionally live – for instance at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in June 2004, and more recently in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2013.

 

John Mayer's 2004 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt (by John Cruz) Tribute Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Stratocaster 

• John was first seen using this guitar at a soundcheck on July 24th, 2004 in Houston, TX, so it is likely that he carried it with him on tour as a sort of a warm-up/backstage instrument.  It is rumored that John acquired a few of the SRV “Number One” Tribute Strats at the time of the release, and then subsequently sold them later.

 

Stevie Ray Vaughan Gear - Premier Guitar

Four main pedals that Stevie Ray Vaughn nearly always had on his pedalboard:

1. 1960s Vox Wah pedal
2. Roger Mayer Octavia
3. Dallas Arbiter (England) Fuzz Face
4. Ibanez Tube Screamer (most often the TS-9 version)

 

Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Hatter "Plateau" Hat  $875 - $1275

• Stevie Ray Vaughan Texas Flood Promotional Hat (Epic Records, | Lot #89599 | Heritage Auctions sold in 2015 for $937

At the time of his death in 1990, Stevie was working with Fender Musical Instruments to create a reproduction "signature model" of Number One. The first reproduction became commercially available in 1992.

 

1992-99 Fender Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Pau Ferro Stratocaster  (Image #14)

• Alder body with Urethane finish, in 3-color Sunburst (800),  b/w/b pickguard with “SRV” initials engraved in pickguard, Gold-plated hardware 
• 4 bolt-on Early-’60s thick oval Maple neck, 12" Pao Fao (or Brazilian Rosewood *- see below)  fingerboard with 21 narrow tall 6105 frets, Ivory dot inlays, 1.685" Synthetic Bone nut, SRV signature on front of headstock, SN starting with "SE" on back of head
• Gold-plated Left Handed American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, Gold-plated American Vintage tuners
• 5-position blade switch, master volume, tone (neck), tone (mid) knobs
• Aged white Fender Custom Shop Texas Special™ Single-coil pickups - Pickups are over-wound for big Texas-blues tone with dynamically scorching output with Alnico 5 magnets, enamel-coated magnet wire and staggered pole pieces for balanced output across each string, they sing, scream and everything in between with tight bass, focused midrange and crystalline highs
• *NOTE:  1992 was the 1st year of production of the SRV Signature Strat.   According to the 1992 Winter Frontline, a limited number of ~50-100 EARLY/Pre-Factory 1992 SRV Strats (through ~SN SE9104) were made by the Custom Shop, had the CS Oval Logo, Wilkinson Roller Nut, and a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard

 

2004 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt (by John Cruz) Tribute Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One Replica" Stratocaster  MSRP $10,000, currently selling for as much as $131,000!  (Images #10 & 11)

• After years of talk about doing a proper SRV guitar, th9e trigger was finally pulled in early 2003, when a team from Fender visited Jimmie Vaughan in Austin to examine the original Number One. The original #1 was thoroughly examined and measured for the reproduction. They digitally recorded every single minute aspect inside and out, going as far as recording the exact output of each pickup, weighing the wood and hardware, measuring the shape of the neck, and using calipers to reproduce every scratch, dent, or wear on the guitar.  
• Later, in November 2003, the Fender Custom Shop announced a SUPER limited run of 100 #1 tribute Stratocasters, all to be Masterbulit by John Cruz, who was hand picked for the job, and is regarded as the best aging expert of all times. 
• The 100 super exclusive guitars from the limited run were sold at the  Fender dealers who were chosen on a lottery basis and sold out immediately, and have fetched some huge numbers the times they have come up for sale on the secondary market.. 
• Although they have serial numbers, they are not serialized 1 through 100, as each guitar John Cruz makes—regardless of model—receives the next serial number in line. With the first numbered as JC044 and the last JC229.  They were built with close input from Rene Martinez who prior to working for Mayer worked as a guitar tech for Stevie Ray Vaughan.
• The Limited Edition Stevie Ray Vaughan Strat bears all the idiosyncrasies of the original
  • Color: Aged 3-Color Sunburst Body
  • Body Shape: Stratocaster® 
  • Body Material: 2-Piece Select Alder 
  • Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer Neck
  • Neck Material: 5/4 Rift Sawn Maple 
  • Neck Shape: Custom '60s Oval "C" 
  • Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm) 
  • Fingerboard Radius: 10" (254 mm) 
  • Number of Frets: 21 
  • Fret Size: 6100 Jumbo 
  • String Nut: Bone 
  • Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm) 
  • Neck Plate: 4-Bolt 
  • Neck Finish: Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer 
  • Fingerboard: AAA Rosewood 
  • Position Inlays: Micarta White Dot 
  • Pickups: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '60s Single-Coil Strat® by Abigail Ibarra - Custom wound to match the exact recorded output of each Number One pickup
  • Controls: Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck/Middle Pickups), Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
  • Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade
  • Pickup Configuration: SSS Hardware all aged by John Cruz
  • Bridge: 6-Saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo 
  • Tuning Machines: Vintage Style 
  • Orientation: Right-Hand 
  • Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome Relic® 
  • Pickguard: 3-Ply Black 
  • Control Knobs: Vintage White 
  • Switch Tips: Vintage White 
  • Weight: 7 lbs, 8 oz.
  • Included Accessories: Anvil Flight Case, Custom Strap, Certificate of Authenticity

 

2019 Fender Custom Shop Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster® Relic®  Model 9235001087 MSRP $5725   (Image #12)

• 2pc Alder body with Nitrocellulose finish, Relic'd in 3-color Sunburst (800),  b/w/b pickguard with “SRV” initials engraved in pickguard, Gold-plated hardware 
• 4 bolt-on SRV oval C Riftsawn Maple neck, Gloss Urethane finish, 12" Rosewood fingerboard with 21 Jumbo frets, Micarta dot inlays, 1.65" Bone nut, SRV signature on front of headstock, SN on brass Custom Shop neck plate
• Gold-plated Left Handed American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, Gold-plated American Vintage tuners
• White Fender Custom Shop Texas Special™ Single-coil pickups, 5-position blade switch, master volume, tone (neck), tone (mid) knobs

 

2021+ Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan Stratocaster®  Model 9207901000 MSRP $2299  (Image #13)

• Solid Alder body with Urethane finish, in 3-color Sunburst (800),  b/w/b pickguard with “SRV” initials engraved in pickguard, Gold-plated hardware 
• 4 bolt-on Early-’60s thick oval Maple neck, Gloss Urethane finish, 12" Pao Ferro fingerboard with 21 narrow tall 6105 frets, Ivory dot inlays,1.65" Synthetic Bone nut, SRV signature on front of headstock, SN starting with "USyy" on back of head
• Gold-plated Left Handed American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo, Gold-plated American Vintage tuners
• White Fender Custom Shop Texas Special™ Single-coil pickups, 5-position blade switch, master volume, tone (neck), tone (mid) knobs

The Mach Five Guitar is a 2021 Custom Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Heavy Relic'd Replica (Images #1 & 2)

• Custom Built SRV “Number One” Strat 
• Color: Aged 3-Color Sunburst Body
• Body Shape: Stratocaster® 
• Body Material:  Alder 
• Finish:  Heavy Relic
• Neck Material:  Maple 
• Neck Shape: Custom '60s Oval "C" 
• Scale Length: 25.5" 
• Fingerboard Radius: 10" 
• Number of Frets: 21 
• Fret Size: 6100 Jumbo 
• String Nut: Synthetic
• Nut Width: 1.650" 
• Neck Plate: 4-Bolt
• Fingerboard:  Pao Ferro 
• Position Inlays:  White Dot 
• Pickups: Custom 
• Controls: Master Volume, Tone 
• Pickup Switching: 5-Position Blade
• Pickup Configuration: SSS 
• Bridge: 6-Saddle Synchronized Tremolo 
• Tuning Machines: Vintage Style 
• Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome 
• Pickguard: 3-Ply Black 
• Control Knobs: Vintage White 
• Switch Tips: Vintage White 
• Weight: 7 lbs, 8 oz.

 

Mach Five SRV Guitar #2:  1994 Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Signature Stratocaster  (see separate page titled "1959-64 Fender Pre-CBS Stratocaster")

• Note that this guitar was purchased from a Berklee student in Boston, the same school where John Mayer purchased his 1996 Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Signature Stratocaster...

1 & 2  Mach Five Guitar

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9  Vintage SRV "Number One"

8   SRV "Lenny"

10 & 11  2004 Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilt (by John Cruz) Tribute Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One"

12  2019 Fender Custom Shop Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster® Relic®

13   2021 Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Signature Stratocaster

14  1992 Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Signature Stratocaster

15   John Mayer playing his 1992 Fender Artist Series Stevie Ray Vaughan "Number One" Signature Stratocaster

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Riviera Paradise (Alpine Valley 1990) 

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (from Live at the El Mocambo)

John Mayer - Voodoo Child (Live at Red Rocks 2010)

Stevie Ray Jawn - Funky Blues Thing

 

The Stevie Ray Vaughan Archive

History of the SRV Signature Strat and the Number One - FUZZFACED

Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster (Custom Shop)

The Guitars of Stevie Ray Vaughan: A Short History

John Mayer's 2004 Fender Custom Shop SRV “Number One” Tribute Strat – Ground Guitar