MY LIFE IN THREE GUITARS: Jimmie Vaughan

THE TRIO OF AXES THAT HAVE MEANT THE MOST TO THE FOUNDING FABULOUS THUNDERBIRD

- Mark McStea

TEXAS BLUES VETERAN Jimmie Vaughan has been on the road for the best part of 60 years. It took two major health scares to temporarily derail his schedule at the start of 2024, but within months he was back on stage, opening for Eric Clapton. Speaking to GW from his home in Texas, with the sound of his chickens in the background, Vaughan was upbeat about the state of his health. "I feel fabulous — I'm doing really good, and I'm planning my next album now that I've got a little time off the road."

1 Gibson

ES-125T ¾ (1957)

"This was my first electric, so I guess that makes it pretty special. My dad bought this for me for 50 bucks from one of my relatives. I don't know whether he factored in the fact that it was a three-quarter-sized model when he bought it, but it was a little easier to get around on as a kid. My dad knew a lot of guitar players, and they'd come around to our house on a Saturday night and plug into amps. That was what made me want to play. I don't know what I would have picked myself, given a choice, but I was happy to get this guitar. Although it was smaller than the full-sized version, the body depth was about the same, which was quite slim. It had a fantastic single P90 in the neck position. It was made in 1957, though I got it in 1964 when I was 12.