Info from Fender:
In 1967 George Harrison used Day-Glo paints and nail polish to transform his 1961 Sonic Blue Stratocaster into a psychedelic work of art known as “Rocky.” Featuring Vintera ’60s Stratocaster pickups, a slab rosewood fingerboard and a vibrant hand-painted finish, the George Harrison “Rocky” Strat is a fitting tribute to that one-of-a-kind guitar.
In the late 1950s and early ’60s, Stratocaster guitars were almost impossible to find in England, so the fact that George Harrison actually added one to his arsenal when the Beatles were single-handedly changing the face of music was special.
As the story goes, Harrison sent roadie Mal Evans to purchase a pair of Strats in 1965, and Evans came back with two Sonic Blue models. It was George’s first Stratocaster — and it quickly became a useful tool.
In the ensuing years, the Strat saw more prominent use on the game-changing 1965 album Rubber Soul — check out the ringing solo on “Nowhere Man” — and subsequent smashes Revolver, The White Album and Abbey Road.
Sometime between the 1967 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sessions and the June 25 live global telecast of “All You Need is Love,” Harrison’s beloved Stratocaster morphed into what the world now knows as “Rocky.”
In a fit of inspiration, he grabbed a brush and some Day-Glo paint to give the instrument a multicolored psychedelic makeover. Instead of the iconic Sonic Blue finish, its top and headstock were now adorned with bright red, green, yellow and orange accents, making it truly stand out on stage.Harrison even painted “Bebopalula” on the upper body, “Go Cat Go” on the pickguard and Rocky on the headstock in December of 1969.
Towards the end of the decade, he began using Rocky to play slide guitar, creating a signature sound that spanned his storied solo career. The slide technique that he developed on Rocky was most notably used across his landmark 1987 album, Cloud Nine.
More info here.
Probably way too much
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