“He had it in a case and said, ‘I don’t play it. Do you want it?’ I was like, ‘There’s no way I can take that from you’”: Olivia Rodrigo guitarist Daisy Spencer reveals how a stroke of good luck landed her the 1972 Fender Strat she plays onstage
Spencer is currently touring the world as Olivia Rodrigo's rhythm guitarist – and the 1972 Fender Strat is one of the many guitars in her arsenal
(L-R) Olivia Rodrigo and Daisy Spencer perform onstage for the kick off of GUTS World Tour at Acrisure Arena on February 23, 2024 in Palm Springs, California(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Acrisure Arena)
Daisy Spencer is currently touring the world with pop-rock supernova Olivia Rodrigo as her rhythm guitarist – alongside fellow guitarist Emily Rosenfield and bassist Moa Munoz.
The New Yorker has been cutting her teeth touring since the tender age of 17 in a band fresh out of high school. Following that stint, she joined the grunge-infused indie rock band Pom Pom Squad on bass. Now, she's bringing her indie sensibilities to Rodrigo's mammoth GUTS tour, alongside her vintage Fender Strat, which she reveals she came to own by a stroke of luck.
Olivia Rodrigo's Band Rig Rundown with Emily Rosenfield, Moa Munoz & Daisy Spencer Guitar Gear Tour - YouTube
“This was given to me by my partner's dad, who has a bunch of stuff in his basement,” she tells Premier Guitar as she points to her off-white Strat. “And this is one of those stories that I know everybody wants to happen to them, and it luckily did happen to me.
“He just had it in a case and he was like, ‘I don't play it. Do you want it?’ And I was like, ‘No, I can't take it. There's no way I can actually take that from you.’ And then he was like, ‘I'm telling the truth, like I won’t play this ever again.’
“And I said, ‘Okay, yeah, I'll take it.’ And someone had kind of done their own paint job on it and everything, but it turns out it's a 1972 Strat.”
Spencer went on to explain that she got it refinished, as she wanted it to look properly “reliced and old, like the year it was from.” Aside from that and the tuning pegs – which she had to upgrade to a more reliable set – she kept all the original specs.
“I wanted it to look just absolutely like it came from 1972. I wanted it to represent the [antiquity] and, like, the checking [and] all, everything is so cool to me. [With the upgrades], we've got this thing road-ready, and it rips. I mean, it's just really fun.”
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You can catch Daisy Spencer on the Australian leg of Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS tour, which kicks off on October 13.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
