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Mike Rutherford plays the Squier Bullet guitars

Mike Rutherford and Squier Bullets.

This story recently came to light and proves that you don’t need to spend a lot to get a really good instrument in your hands….

The fact that our guitar heroes don't always use expensive custom gear is no state secret. It's also been shown time and again that if you put a cheap electric guitar in the hands of a master, they'll still sound exactly like themselves. 

With all that in mind though, it's still quite surprising when an incredibly accomplished guitarist for one of rock's most reliably arena-filling bands reveals he's using a guitar most associated with beginners.
Such is the case though, with Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford, who – while on the road with the reunited rock giants for their recently postponed The Last Domino? tour – has taken to using ultra-low-budget Squier Bullet Stratocasters onstage.

When asked by Guitarist what guitars he's been using onstage for Genesis's 2021 tour, Rutherford said, “I've got my main Strat but here's a funny thing: last year, I went to Cape Town for two weeks and got stuck there in lockdown for two months because there were no flights. And just prior to lockdown, I thought: ‘Christ, I haven't got an electric guitar…’ So I went to a music shop there and I bought two Squier Bullet Strats. You know, Indonesian-made, standard spec... and one of them I just love. 

“The Squier Bullet Stratocaster is his [Rutherford's] favorite at the moment, it really is,” Prior told Guitar Player in an interview. “And I’ve just bought him a couple of others which I’ve found, I mean they’re unbelievably good guitars for the money." 
 

“Mike has got so many other wonderful Strats, but he also loves using these Indonesian-made Squier Bullet Stratocasters. He can’t put the Sonic Grey one down. It’s the first guitar he wants to play every day and he uses it for some big songs in the Genesis set including No Son of Mine and Mama.

“I asked him if he’d like me to take the Squier decal off the headstock but he said he wanted it stay. Fender are probably over the moon about that!”

See our current stock of Squier guitars by clicking on the picture below