Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"It sounds like a bunch of wires strapped on a piece of wood - which is what it is."
Whistle Test's Mark Ellen and David Hepworth talk to musicians Richard Thompson, David Lindley and Midge Ure about guitars.
Former Fairport Convention lead guitarist, Richard Thompson, demonstrates his favourite Fender Stratocaster. The Stratocaster is both a rock staple and a chameleon, Richard shows how it lends itself to producing distinct guitar sounds for artists as diverse as Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler. Richard's Stratocaster is around 30 years old - why hasn't he bought a new one?
David Lindley has played with Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Curtis Mayfield and Leonard Cohen among countless others. He owns 57 guitars, and has brought in one that demonstrates some of the latest developments in guitar design. It has no head stock, and a graphite neck which runs all the way through the body.
Ultravox's Midge Ure shows off his latest toy - a brand new Roland GR-700 guitar synthesizer - but as he has only had the new piece of kit for a couple of days, he is still very much in the early experimental stages. He demonstrates how it can transform his guitar into an orchestral string section or... a doorbell.
Clip taken from Whistle Test, originally broadcast on BBC One, 23 March 1984.
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"It sounds like a bunch of wires strapped on a piece of wood - which is what it is."
Whistle Test's Mark Ellen and David Hepworth talk to musicians Richard Thompson, David Lindley and Midge Ure about guitars.
Former Fairport Convention lead guitarist, Richard Thompson, demonstrates his favourite Fender Stratocaster. The Stratocaster is both a rock staple and a chameleon, Richard shows how it lends itself to producing distinct guitar sounds for artists as diverse as Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler. Richard's Stratocaster is around 30 years old - why hasn't he bought a new one?
David Lindley has played with Jackson Browne, Ry Cooder, Curtis Mayfield and Leonard Cohen among countless others. He owns 57 guitars, and has brought in one that demonstrates some of the latest developments in guitar design. It has no head stock, and a graphite neck which runs all the way through the body.
Ultravox's Midge Ure shows off his latest toy - a brand new Roland GR-700 guitar synthesizer - but as he has only had the new piece of kit for a couple of days, he is still very much in the early experimental stages. He demonstrates how it can transform his guitar into an orchestral string section or... a doorbell.
Clip taken from Whistle Test, originally broadcast on BBC One, 23 March 1984.
You have now entered the BBC Archive, a time machine that will transport you back to the golden age of TV to educate, entertain and enlighten you with classic clips from the BBC vaults.
Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a single stop on our amazing journey through the BBC Archive - youtube.com/c/BBCArchive?sub_confirmation=1
You can also dive into plenty more BBC Archive on our website - bbc.co.uk/archive
