Fender Stratocaster 1965
And finally, friends! This has been my main guitar for the last 32 years! This is my baby!
I bought this one in 1984 and I’ve used it on every album ever since, including “The Final Countdown” album, my first solo album “Total Control” (it’s the guitar on the front cover), and I used it exclusively on the “Face It Live ’97” album – which is one of my favorite guitar sounds of all time! – and many more.
It’s very special to me, because of its history, but more importantly, it’s the best sounding Strat I ever heard!
The pickups are not original (but I do still have the originals): It has old DiMarzio FS-1 (Fat Strat) pickups which is my favorite single coil pickup, and the FS-1 are also fitted in all my Strats, including my signature Stratospheric Wine Custom J.Norum (Strat style) by Paoletti Guitars.
The guitar has also gotten a “nickname” over the years. It wasn’t anything I planned, it just happened (like BB King’s “Lucille”, Clapton’s “Blackie” and many others).
So the first name that just “popped up” out of the blue was “Gamla Bettan” (a Swedish name, in English it would be “Old Betty”).
The guitar is now retired from touring but I still use it a lot in the studio because no other guitar sounds like this one.
It has a very unique tone that I’ve never heard in any other guitar, it just sounds great!
Yngwie Malmsteen played it once and the first thing he said was “How much?” …ha …ha. “Sorry, it’s not for sale, but I still love ya!”
