John Squire’s 1966 Fender Stratocaster

This 1966 Fender Stratocaster, finished in Candy Apple Red, was briefly used by John Squire around 2011, prior to The Stone Roses reunion tour. In fact, the only known photograph of him playing this guitar dates to December 2, 2011, during his first live performance with Ian Brown since The Stone Roses split in 1995.

Brown and Squire reunited on stage at The Manchester Ritz for a Justice for Hillsborough benefit concert, joining Mick Jones of The Clash, The Farm, and Pete Wylie. The duo performed Elizabeth My Dear before being joined by Mick Jones and The Farm for renditions of Bankrobber and Armagideon Time by The Clash, with Ian Brown handling lead vocals on all three songs.

In 2016, the guitar was listed for sale at Denmark Street Guitars. The sales page described it as having been used in a “historic performance which led to the reunion of The Stone Roses” and emphasized its significance in the band’s history.^[1] However, one could argue its importance is somewhat overstated, as it wasn’t actually used on the reunion tour itself.