David Gilmour’s iconic Black Stratocaster became the most expensive guitar sold at auction when it fetched just under $4 million in 2019. The guitar was his go-to, and a legendary instrument from Pink Floyd's heyday on which he'd played his soul-searching solo in "Comfortably Numb." It was even featured in the classic Pink Floyd lineup's final show at the 2005 Live 8 concert.
But Gilmour has no regrets. For one thing, he regards guitars as “tools of the trade.” For another, he contends his Fender signature model, the Black Cat Strat, is every bit as good.
“Fender did a David Gilmour model, so now I’ve got the Black Cat Strat,” he says. “And it’s the same, you know? It does what it says on the tin.”
The signature model was released in 2008 after the design had met the exacting standards of Gilmour and his team, making the final product a worthy addition to his tool kit.
“Phil Taylor, my guitar tech, insisted on a lot of affection from Fender before we’d agree to do it,” he goes on. “The David Gilmour Signature Strat is a fine, fine instrument — and we make sure it stays that way. We’re on their case about it regularly. I think they’ve done an extremely good job in making a beautiful guitar.”
Pressed on whether it would pass a blindfold test against the original Black Strat, which is now lovingly owned by Jim Isray, he replied: “It certainly would with me. Why wouldn’t it?”
In addition, Gilmour has championed how the money raised by its sale has gone to a worthwhile cause.
“The charity the money went to, ClientEarth, is doing the most extraordinary work throughout the world,” he says. “Every day — I got one this morning — there’s an email about a court case they’ve won somewhere in the world, against countries where they break their own laws on climate change and emissions, or against people who are building plastics factories or cutting down medieval forests in Poland.”
Gilmour is currently on tour for his album Luck and Strange, which he promoted at a small British pub with a performance of the Pink Floyd classic Wish You Were Here featuring his daughter, Romany, on vocals.
When discussing the guitars that were crucial in the making of the record, Gilmour made his arguments for why vintage guitars will always sound better than their modern counterparts. But it seems in the case of the Black Strat versus the Black Cat, there will always be an exception to the rule.
In the video below from Gilmour's YouTube channel, he discusses the Black Strat prior to its sale.
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