Mike Bloomfield is widely considered to be one of the first ever guitar heroes. His iconic tone and musical phrasing were heavily influential to legends such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jerry Garcia. Bloomfield was born and raised in Chicago, a hotbed for blues music in the 1950s and 1960s. During his youth, he was able to sit in with blues icons such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Otis Rush at the local blues clubs when they would pass through town. Bloomfield would eventually become one of the guitar players in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a widely popular and highly influential blues band in the mid 1960s. It was during his days with Paul Butterfield that he crossed paths with Bob Dylan, who was so enamored by Bloomfield's playing that Dylan asked him to record an album with him. You can hear Bloomfield on the Bob Dylan album "Highway 61 Revisited," which includes the famed song "Like a Rolling Stone."
While Bloomfield was famous for playing his Tele and Les Paul, he picked up this black 1963 Fender Stratocaster in the mid 1970s and played it almost exclusively until the tragic end of his life. Although never confirmed, some maintain that this black Strat was gifted to Bloomfield by drummer Buddy Miles, who was given the guitar directly from Jimi Hendrix during their Band of Gypsys days together.
The guitar was refinished - spray painted, to be exact - by Mike Bloomfield himself, who apparently was unhappy with the original Fender black finish. Yes, he stripped the original black finish only to spray paint it... black. This quirky feature is one of the defining elements that tell you who the guitar belonged to, one of the things that makes it special. In terms of work done, the guitar had also been converted to a 12-string and returned back to a 6-string prior to Bloomfield's acquisition of it. This modification explains the 6 screws in the headstock which were placed there to cover up some holes that were drilled in the process of converting the guitar.
While Bloomfield was famous for playing his Tele and Les Paul, he picked up this black 1963 Fender Stratocaster in the mid 1970s and played it almost exclusively until the tragic end of his life. Although never confirmed, some maintain that this black Strat was gifted to Bloomfield by drummer Buddy Miles, who was given the guitar directly from Jimi Hendrix during their Band of Gypsys days together.
The guitar was refinished - spray painted, to be exact - by Mike Bloomfield himself, who apparently was unhappy with the original Fender black finish. Yes, he stripped the original black finish only to spray paint it... black. This quirky feature is one of the defining elements that tell you who the guitar belonged to, one of the things that makes it special. In terms of work done, the guitar had also been converted to a 12-string and returned back to a 6-string prior to Bloomfield's acquisition of it. This modification explains the 6 screws in the headstock which were placed there to cover up some holes that were drilled in the process of converting the guitar.
Mike Bloomfield's black Strat can be heard on his last studio album, "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'." The back cover of the album has a photograph of Bloomfield with the guitar.
