This is a list of musicians who have made notable use of the Fender Stratocaster in live performances or studio recordings. The Fender Stratocaster was designed by Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares with involvement from musicians Rex Gallion and Bill Carson in the early 1950s, and since its commercial introduction in 1954 has become widely used among popular artists in rock, blues, and other genres. The Squier Stratocaster is produced by Fender as a more affordable alternative to the Fender-branded version.
Due to the immense popularity of this model, musicians are listed here only if their use of this instrument was especially significant — that is, they are players who: have long careers and a history of Stratocaster use, have a particular guitar that was unique or of historical importance, and have contributed significantly to the popularization of the instrument through their use of it.
A–E Billie Joe Armstrong (born 1972), lead singer and guitarist of Green Day, uses a heavily stickered Fernandes Stratocaster copy nicknamed "Blue". Armstrong modified this guitar with a Bill Lawrence humbucking pickup on the bridge position. After sustaining damage from mud during their performance in Woodstock '94, the bridge pickup was replaced with a Seymour Duncan JB. Blue was used on the recording of every Green Day album until Warning, and during live performances of Green Day's early work, such as their songs from Dookie. Armstrong also used a Fender Stratocaster from the Fender Custom Shop while recording Nimrod. Randy Bachman (born 1943), a founding member of both The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive (BTO) who recently fronted the project "Randy Bachman's Jazz Thing." After a visit to a chiropractor, Bachman was persuaded to switch from a Gibson Les Paul to a lighter Stratocaster. He modified the pickups on his first Strat, putting a Gibson pickup at the neck and a Telecaster pickup at the bridge, while leaving the Stratocaster pickup in the middle.Goodin, Jesse Kinos. "Randy Bachman: You can never have just one." Article in the Edmonton Journal on September 24, 2012. Randy favored Stratocasters and custom Strat-style guitars throughout his years with BTO. Though his bands are mostly known for their simplistic rock-radio anthems, Bachman's soloing often revealed complex melodies and jazz-inflected phrasing. Among his Stratocasters used are a '63 standard and a '71 four-bolt hardtail. He has listed guitar influences as varied as Lenny Breau, Leslie West, Wes Montgomery and Hank Marvin. Jeff Beck (1944–2023) - a Grammy award-winning rock guitarist, Beck was known for playing for various bands such as the Yardbirds and his own group The Jeff Beck Group. Beck primarily played a Stratocaster and also has a signature Strat. He was noted for his innovative use of the Stratocaster's vibrato system. Up to 1975 Beck had been, primarily, a Les Paul player. In an interview with Jas Obrecht about switching to the Stratocaster, Beck stated, "With a Les Paul you just wind up sounding like someone else. With the Strat I finally sound like me."Ferguson, Jim (editor): The Guitar Player Book - Revised Third Edition, 1983. GPI Publications. . Adrian Belew (born 1949), is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is perhaps best known for his work as a member of the progressive rock group King Crimson. He has also worked extensively as a session and touring musician, most famously with Talking Heads, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, and Nine Inch Nails. During much of his career, Belew made extensive use of a weathered-looking Stratocaster, later memorialized in song as "The Battered Strat." This guitar was relic'ed by Seymour Duncan. Ritchie Blackmore (born 1945), a founding member of both Deep Purple and Rainbow, and currently a member of the band Blackmore's Night. After starting his career using various Höfner and Gibson guitars, Blackmore switched to a Stratocaster in the late 1960s after seeing Jimi Hendrix perform with one. Blackmore's Stratocasters are modified; the middle pickup is lowered and not used (sometimes disconnected completely) and his Stratocaster fingerboards are all scalloped from the 10th fret up. Through the early/mid 1970s Blackmore was notorious for onstage abuse of his guitars, sometimes destroying them completely. By the late 1970s the guitarist had found a Stratocaster model he was content with and it remained his main stage and studio guitar up until it had to be refretted. Tommy Bolin (1951–1976), a versatile guitarist who is noted for his influence in genres ranging from acoustic blues to hard rock and jazz fusion. He was the lead guitarist for Zephyr, James Gang and Deep Purple. He also had a brief but notable solo career, and collaborated with artists like Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon and Moxy. Bolin played by ear and was known for his improvisational skill. His primary guitar was a stock 1963 sunburst Stratocaster. Joe Bonamassa (born 1977), a blues rock guitarist, has used Stratocasters throughout his career. When he was 12 years old, Bonamassa played a crimson 1972 Fender Stratocaster. Bonamassa is known for his extensive collection of vintage amplifiers and guitars. In 2018, Bonamassa said that he has more than 1000 guitars, a large fraction of which are Fender Stratocasters. Bill Carson (1926–2007), a country and western guitarist credited by Fender as "the man for whom the Stratocaster was designed." Eric Clapton (born 1945), an English rock guitarist, originally played Gibson guitars early in his career. While he was still a member of Cream, Clapton bought his first Stratocaster, Brownie, in 1967,Eric Clapton's 1956 Fender Stratocaster "Brownie" which was later used on songs like "Layla". Blackie, a composite of three different guitars, went into service in 1974 and was regularly played until its retirement in 1985. It was sold at charity auction for $959,500 in 2004. In 1988, Fender introduced the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, the first model in their Signature series. Clapton has been a long-standing client of the Fender Custom Shop. Kurt Cobain (1967–1994), lead singer and guitarist of grunge band Nirvana, used Fender Stratocasters throughout his career, using the guitar in the music video for "Lithium" and in the band's famous performance at the 1992 Reading Festival. Cobain's most well-known Stratocaster has a sticker on the body with the text "VANDALISM: BEAUTIFUL AS A ROCK IN A COP'S FACE." Ry Cooder (born 1947), a guitarist, singer and composer who is well known for his interest in American folk music, his collaborations with other notable musicians, and his work on many film soundtracks. Cooder's bottleneck slide guitar playing, heard on such works as the soundtrack to the 1984 film Paris, Texas, influenced other guitarists such as Bonnie Raitt and Chris Rea and contributed to the popularity of the Stratocaster as a slide guitar. He uses a '60s Stratocaster for such playing. Billy Corgan (born 1967) has played a range of Stratocasters from the start of his career with The Smashing Pumpkins. In the early years of the band this was a '74 yellow Strat that was stolen (and later returned in the mid-2010s). His famous "Bat Strat" was a 1990s reissue '57 Strat - this guitar is still used by Corgan. He also has played a blue '74 Strat since the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness era, and in 2009 Fender issued a custom shop Billy Corgan signature Stratocaster, which was designed to encourage individualistic playing and fit the needs of "high-gain rock". It features a heavy body weight and DiMarzio pickups. Robert Cray (born 1953), a long-time blues guitarist and singer, Cray plays a '64 Strat and had his own Signature model made in 1990. The signature model, manufactured by the Fender Custom Shop, combines aspects of Cray's '59 Strat and the '64, omits the standard Stratocaster whammy bar, and includes custom pickups. Dick Dale (1937–2019), considered a pioneer of surf rock, was one of the first owners of a Stratocaster; his was given to him personally by Leo Fender in 1955. He has been revolutionary in experimenting with the sound of the guitar by using heavy reverb and a unique fast-picking style as heard on "Misirlou".
Tom DeLonge (born 1975), guitarist and co-lead vocalist of Blink-182, used several Stratocasters in the first half of his career. From the founding of Blink-182 until the recording of their debut album Cheshire Cat (1995), he used a fiesta red Squier Stratocaster. Shortly before the album's release, DeLonge switched to a white 40th Anniversary Edition Stratocaster, which was heavily modified with stickers as well as Seymour Duncan Hot Rails and JB Jr. pickups (neck and middle positions respectively) and a Dimarzio X2N (bridge position). He used this guitar until 1998. In 1999, he teamed up with Fender to release a signature Stratocaster with a single Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge position, which was initially sold until 2004Prown, Pete & Sharken, Lisa (2003). Gear Secrets of the Guitar Legends: How to Sound Like Your Favorite Players. Milwaukee: Backbeat Books, p. 104-05. First edition, 2003. and later reissued in 2023. The Edge (born 1961), lead guitarist of U2, known for his percussive, melodic playing and use of delay, has used the Stratocaster as one of his main guitars throughout his career.
F–J John Frusciante (born 1970), the current guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante used many pre-70s Strats, with the most notable being his worn 1962 Stratocaster. Frusciante used Stratocasters in every Red Hot Chili Peppers album he was involved with, including Mother's Milk,johnfrusciante.com "A Fender Strat (year & Model type unknown)" Blood Sugar Sex Magik,johnfrusciante.com "known to have been used: Various Fender Stratocasters" and Californication.johnfrusciante.com "Guitars: [...] '55 Fender Strat, '62 Fender Strat,
Rory Gallagher (1948–1995), an Irish blues rock guitarist, often credited as one of the most influential rock and blues guitarists of all time. Gallagher is well known for his worn 1961 sunburst Stratocaster. He described his battered Stratocaster as "a part of my psychic makeup". When asked about its importance, Gallagher said, "B.B. King has owned over 100 Lucilles, but I only own one Strat, and it hasn't got a name." Gallagher's Stratocaster has also been reproduced by the Fender Custom shop, to the exact specs of the original one. Lowell George (1945–1979), primary guitarist and singer of Little Feat. Lowell was proficient on slide guitar employing his trademark tone which he achieved through use of compression and open tunings helping to define his soulful sound as well as giving him the means to play his extended melodic lines. Additionally, he used to swap the bridge pickups of his Stratocasters for Telecaster bridge pickups.