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
  • Music Gear Reviews
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Controllers
  • Drums
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Guitar Amps
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About us
Don't miss these
More
  • "The most expensive bit of drumming in history”
  • JoBo x Fuchs
  • Radiohead Daydreaming
  • Vanilla Fudge
  • 95k+ free music samples
  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
Keith Richards tries out the meticulous Custom Shop replica of his original 1960 Gibson ES-355, with many more replicas in the background.
Gibson surprise launches $19,999 Keith Richards Collector’s Edition 1960 ES-355, signed by the man himself
 
 
Ibanez Alpha Series: 7 and 8-string guitars with an all-new shape, metallic finishes, and photographed here in profile against a dark gradient background.
Stylistically radical, Ibanez’s multi-scale Alpha series might just be the 21st-century prog-metal player’s favourite new guitar – but do you get the 7-string or the 8?
 
 
Brian May [left] leans back and feels a chord as he performs live with his Red Special. Steve Vai [right] wears a ballcap and looks pleased as punch as he shows off his custom 'Green' Red Special that May had built for him.
Steve Vai once played Brian May’s guitar “like a baby giraffe on roller skates” – now the Queen icon has gifted him his own ‘Green’ Red Special
 
 
Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic
"It isn’t just a collection of cool features; it’s a tool designed to make your recorded guitar sound better, right out of the box": Gretsch Limited Edition Abbey Road RS201 Studiomatic review
 
 
Paul McCartney points to the crowd and raises an eyebrow as he performs with his iconic Höfner Violin Bass
Paul McCartney's favourite bass company is in trouble – Höfner's future uncertain as it files provisional insolvency proceedings
 
 
YouTuber Carlos Asensio presents his brand-new Harley Benton ST-Modern signature model, which is offered in Cactus Green Metallic Gloss and Ice Blue Metallic Gloss finishes
Harley Benton just put a Vega-Trem on YouTuber Carlos Asensio's $700 signature guitar: is this the best-value S-style on the market?
 
 
Latest in News
Apple Creator Studio Logic Pro
Apple expands Logic Pro’s AI features with a Synth Player and a “personal music theory expert”
 
 
Slash wears a top hat and plays a Gibson SG live with Guns N' Roses, with pink and blue lights in the background.
“The SG that I had at the Ozzy gig, that guitar needed a louder pickup but I still wanted that true-to-life guitar sound that I like”: Slash and Seymour Duncan dial up the raunch with the Guns N’ Roses legend’s signature 3.0 humbuckers
 
 
Electro-Harmonix Effects Interface
EHX’s new Effects Interface is a stompbox-shaped device that lets you integrate your pedalboard with your DAW
 
 
ua
Universal Audio is giving away the new native version of the 610 Tube Preamp and EQ Collection for free
 
 
black midi
"Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men": Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin, Black Midi guitarist, dies aged 26
 
 
Bruno Mars
“Releasing the same song for the past 10 years”: Bruno Mars bites back at critical social media user
 
 

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
  • 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...