After seeing Mark Knopfler live on the recent Get Lucky tour I can confirm that he plays different MK Signature Stratocasters on stage (compare the post on Guitars on the get Lucky tour). In Oberhausen und Amsterdam he seemed to play four different red MK Strats:
#1 – on Border Reiver
This one is tuned to Eb which of course does not mean an open tuning but one half note lower than standard tuning, something Jimi Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn did to get a fatter sound without having trouble with playing techniques like string bending.
still looking for good picture
#2 – on What it is & Sailing to Philadelphia
Just like on the last tour, he probably has 010 string gauge on this one. Serial No is SE 00000 (confirmed for 2008 tour)
still looking for good picture
#3 – on outro of Romeo & Juliet and on Sultans of Swing
Probably with 009 string gauge again (confirmed for the Kill to get Crimson tour), with a wireless camera mounted on headstock. This one has a comparatively light rosewood fingerboard. On the 2008 tour he played these two songs on Glenn Worf’s MK signature Strat, which has a lighter, more orange colour. This might be the same guitar again.
#4 on So far Away
On some gigs he played the ’54 Stratocaster, but seems to use another MK signature with heavy strings (wound g string) now. Easily to recognize on pictures because of the narrow guitar strap.
One of Mark’s signature Strats has the serial no SE 00001, but I cannot tell for sure which of the four guitars this is. The one on So far away has a nice slightly flamed headstockk, but the flame/grain pattern seems to be different than on the 00001 Strat. Maybe it is the one on Border reiver?
I am looking for good pictures of guitars #1 and # 2 to contrast them all here. If you have any, please send them to me so that I can put them into this post.
And if you wonder where I got the information about the guitars of the 2008 tour from, check out this video in case you don’t already know it:
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5 thoughts on “The different Mark Knopfler signature Strats used on the Get Lucky tour”
I think, Mark may use 3 “normal” Sig Strats with his signature on the headstock and one without any signature (like he was using on Princes’ Trust Concert or during interview with Phil Cunningham). Don’t you think so?
I think you’re wrong.
On tour, MK uses 4 MK Signatures with signature on headstock;
1- Tuned Eb with 0,10-0.46 strings
2- Tuned Standard with 0.10-0.46 strings (SE00000)
3- Tuned Standard with 0.09-0.42 strings (Glenn’s Worf guitar)
4- Tuned Standard with 0.11-0.52 strings (SE00001)
On Princess trust, he used the prototipe, the same guitar that MK Siganture but without signature on headstock.
He plays this Fender on AOL Session 2002, on Wild theme.
Okay, many thanks.
Hi all folks ! 🙂
nice to be back 🙂
Since 8th april, I’ve resisted to visit most of Mark’s sites to not be spoiled with any infos about the setlist !
Now, I went to see him yesterday in Lyon, so I have a lot to read !!! (more than 2 months on Amarkintime, Guy Fletcher and Mknews !!!!)
When I saw these articles about guitars here, I closed quickly my navigator and I managed to hold up today !
And indeed, what a surprise to hear Coyote ! Border Reiver as opener ! Piper to the end ! (well, for this one, I saw it unfortunately on youtube 🙁 ) Marbletown ! Hill’s farmer’s blues ! (I coudn’t go to 2008 tour)
Well, great show, although, as my wife said, ” a bit too old, isn’t he ?” 🙁
All the gig on a seat. and no Donegan’s gone, no prairie wedding…. well….Up to now, my fav MK gig is 96. (I saw him in 92, 96, 01, 05 and yesterday)
BTW, I just wanted to say, that what is great with SFA, is that now he played it with his fingers again 🙂 not with pick as in 2006 🙁
Yesterday, he played it on the sig strat.
cheers
Jean-François
Hi Jean-Francois,
I only had the chance to watch the Hamburg concert (16/06/10), but there’s a really cool guy from Israel (Isaac Shabtay, living in Canada) who follows the band by bus, train, plain or otherwise during the *entire* (US and Europe) Get Lucky tour…plus writing a rather exhaustive blog about his experiences and in much better details on *each and every gig* than the blogging band members. Great fun to read and from a different point of view than Guy oder Richard. By now, he can tell even subtle differences in the solos and would have been a great source of information guitar-wise…but as he occasionally makes notes to chord progressions and writes about subtle differences in certain solos on his own- why not try to ask him about some details, eventually?
At least, the Hamburg concert featured all 16 songs (both Coyote and Prairie Wedding), later events obviously sported only 15 tracks, but you wouldn’t know. In any case, his blog is very much fun to read for every Mark Knopfler fan, and apart from that, a great travel logbook, too. Plus, more and better pictures than Guy’s. Url: http://gl.isaac.shabtay.com
Just for info,
— Chris.