PrairieDog Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 (edited) On 7/15/2024 at 5:24 PM, Phil OKeefe said: As I understand the details of the theft and recovery, it wasn't found leaning against a wall, it was found in a ditch behind a wall. And it was only gone for a few days. Yes, I'm sure the ordeal added noticeably to the finish wear. Ireland's a pretty wet place, and I suspect it was subjected to at least some water exposure, which may have caused the wood to swell, which wouldn't be good for the nitro finish. But neither is tons of touring, lots of sweat, and good, honest play wear – all of which that guitar experienced in abundance. From https://www.rorygallagher.com/1961-stratocaster/ : The last thing that we ought to mention is the significant wear on the guitar, which is quite extensive even when compared to the wear on similar models played by other professional guitarists, like Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1962/63 Fender Stratocaster or John Frusciante’s 1962 Fender Stratocaster. Most of the wear seems to have originated from the mid to late 60s, and by the Isle of Wight gig in 1970 the guitar already looked like it have gone through a sanding machine. This for some reason happens often on early 60s Stratocasters, compared to late 50s which are much harder to find in such condition. Although disregarded by most, a factor that might have also played a role in this was that the guitar was left in a rainy ditch for days at some point in 1966. A few days prior to this, Rory’s Strat was stolen from him during alongside a Telecaster that he borrowed from a friend to use as a slide guitar for the upcoming gig in Dublin. Rory decided to contact the producers of the television show called “Garda Patrol”, who then featured the guitar in one their segments that supposedly revolved around helping people locate their lost stuff (if you happen to know anything about this particular show, please contact us as we are curious to find if the original recording of this program is still available somewhere). A few days passed and the guitar was found abandoned in a ditch, and following that was successfully returned to Rory who swore never to lose sight of it again. I had it stolen one time, following a brief appearance at the Five Club to visit Pat Egan about the Dublin scene, and it got very beaten up then. I had borrowed a Telecaster, and it and the Tele were nicked. I was terrified for a few days in case I would have to buy both a Strat and a Telecaster. Both guitars were found (with the assistance of some exposure on Garda Patrol on RTÉ) behind a front garden wall on the South Circular Road, with some of the strings missing and the bodies knocked about but, thankfully, they were OK. Thanks for the great history Phil, and the note about the city wanting to buy it. I hope they are successful. Edited July 16 by PrairieDog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted July 16 Share Posted July 16 56 minutes ago, ksdaddy said: I don't get it. Ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 I think this is a good idea: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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