“Maybe I didn’t expand on it to the extent that I should have”: Chris Buck responds to the backlash against his “Strat baggage” comments

Chris Buck has responded to those who took issue with his comments regarding the ‘baggage’ that comes with playing a Fender Stratocaster.

Last year, during a discussion of why he decided to pivot away from household electric guitar brand names to start playing a Yamaha Revstar, the British blues rock guitar ace caused something of a stir when he spoke about the “baggage” that came with playing a Stratocaster.

“What I maybe didn’t explain particularly well, or elucidate to the extent to which it maybe deserved, was that the perceived baggage is entirely in my mind,” he explains to GW. “It’s nice to be able to throw yourself out of the shadow of your influences, ultimately, and not feel like they’re looking over your shoulder.

“Instantly when you play a brand of guitar first and foremost that’s outside of the norm a little bit, and a model of guitar that is pretty new at that point, it just instantly throws you in a different head space,” he adds of the Revstar’s influence on his sound and style.

“It’s human nature to want to compartmentalize things, just because it makes things easier to process and understand. But maybe I didn’t expand on that to the extent I should have.

“But I just got frustrated with trying to find my voice as a musician and feeling like – through lack of talent, I would be very quick to say – I was struggling to get out of the shadow of my influences.”

There will be many players, this writer included, who agree with Buck, and many more who will now appreciate his point of view following the clarification. It arguably didn’t require clarity in the first place, but the lure of emulating Clapton, Mayer, Knopfler, SRV and more while playing a Strat is a temptation most guitar players succumb to.

For Buck, removing himself from that ballpark so as to work on his own style and sound made sense, and the evidence is clear to see: with the Revstar, Buck has developed a voice on the guitar that’s very much his own.

Chris Buck’s full interview with Guitar World will be published online in the coming weeks.

Last month, Buck and Yamaha finally unveiled his long-awaited signature Revstar, which was launched alongside the return of the high-end single-cut Pacifica.

Matt is the GuitarWorld.com News Editor, and has been writing and editing for the site for five years. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 19 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. During his GW career, he’s interviewed Peter Frampton, Zakk Wylde, Tosin Abasi, Matteo Mancuso and more, and has profiled the CEOs of Guitar Center and Fender.

When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt performs with indie rock duo Esme Emerson, and has previously opened for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Keane, Japanese House and Good Neighbours.