Joe and Philip Sayce - Two Maestros at work

Great performance.
Joe finally stayed with les pauls. A great choice...there are too many stratocaster players now-a-days and none of them can get rid of strong SRV influences, like that other guy on stage. Apart from that, i can notice that his way of playing has been maturing a lot from 2005 to 2009 as he's got more spacing between phrases.

There you go again Tripod - being disrespectful to great artists and a great guitar.

The Fender Stratocaster is arguably the most influential guitar ever built - it's certainly no less important in the development of modern blues, rock, and popular music than any other, and playing one does not make someone an "SRV Clone" (a phrase you like to use, and one I wish the mods would ban from this forum)
Even the false icon you worship has used plenty of strats in his time, and even resorted to a tele on his most recent offering. And yes he's even played Texas blues - does that make Gary an "SRV Clone"?

Labeling someone an SRV Clone is usually intentionally disrespectful to the artist you apply it to, but also happens to be disrespectful to one of the best guitarists that ever graced this planet. If you don't like Stevie's music, fine - but ask yourself where the blues would be now if he had not made the impact he did during the 80's. Would Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues" have sold so well on its release in 1990 had not Stevie reopened peoples ears to the genre in the years before it's release?

If you were to take the trouble to listen to Philip Sayce's music (he's "that other guy" by the way), you would probably discover his influences come more from Jimi Hendrix (but he's no clone).

The Fender Statocaster is a fine guitar.
So is the Gibson Les Paul.
I love 'em both.
There's room for more. 
Variety is the spice of life!

Ian

PS Thanks for finding those Phil - I enjoyed them.

I'm going to dive in here with some middle ground.

I agree that the term SRV clone is disrespectful, yet I also believe in some cases it is justified (although not in this case). 

However it is foolish to suggest that you can't use a Strat without being a SRV clone. There were plenty of other superb guitarists who used a Strat before Stevie: David Gilmour, Rory Gallagher, Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray to name a few. As Icon says it is a fine guitar and you should be able to use it without the suggestion of being a clone - it's what you play on it that counts...

And that will lead me to my second point.

If you are a young guitar player and looking to play blues music, then it is perfectly natural to find Stevie Ray Vaughan an inspiration. Talk of saving the blues is not wholly accurate, but he along with his brother Jimmie, Cray and others did revitalise the genre. It’s what you take from Stevie’s music that counts, some go for the integrity of his music, the passion, the power, these qualities will all help them develop as an artist.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a bit of Stevie’s sound to your music, it is a great sound.

However others do focus too simply on the style and technique.  There are too many "blues" guitarists out there who play and study nothing pre Texas Flood (except maybe Clapton and Hendrix).  They are too limiting, do not acknowledge Stevie's influences or the songs they wrote which Stevie made famous. The sounds of Albert King, Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Elmore James, Freddie King Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy et al are imprinted on his music (likewise Clapton and Hendrix!).

Some of their admirers would do well to study the originator’s work as well and look for some of their other songs to interpret, and combine that with what they rightfully love about Stevie. They would get more of my respect that way. An acknowledgement of the more traditional styles of the genre would also be good.

As for Gary Moore, I’m sorry but no one will ever convince me that he is a blues player. He may have the ability, play the right notes and sometimes say the right things, but he will never mark up to the greats like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Moore’s own idol Peter Green, his countryman Rory Gallagher and most of the other guitarists I’ve mentioned in this thread. Deep down Moore is a chameleon who blends in but never fully belongs.  SRV and others set down the blueprint for the guitar based blues album of originals and rocked up covers that formed Still Got The Blues and Moore’s increasingly repetitive follow-ups. It is only due to the sad premature death of Stevie and demise of some of the others I have mentioned, that has enabled Moore to keep such dominance in this style of music.  I do believe though now it has come to an end and there is a new generation of blues musicians with the integrity and heritage of the music behind them. Joe Bonamassa for me is at the head of that pack.

Anyway, back to the video

It's simple, playing the style of music you love whether fashionable or not, and which you know your fans want to hear, while remaining true to your long held beliefs; and with respect for those that influenced you and those that follow you.