Stevie Ray Vaughan Breaks a String, Swaps Guitar (Almost) Without Missing a Beat

God bless roadies!

Vaughan, who can be seen performing "Look at Little Sister" for an Austin City Limits special in 1989, breaks his B string just a few seconds into his guitar solo.

At the 3:02 mark in the video below, Vaughan motions to Martinez, who makes one of the smoothest Strat swaps we've ever seen.

Granted, Vaughan and Martinez picked a perfect time to make the swap (The guitar solo was finished, etc.), but SRV misses only one or two low-E-zone double stops during the exchange. While singing!

For more about Martinez, visit texasguitarwhiz.com.

NOTE: Unfortunately, we can't embed the best-possible version of this video. However, if you skip to 2:28, you'll find yourself in the thick of the action. Enjoy!

Damian Fanelli is the online managing editor at Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado. His New York-based band, the Blue Meanies, has toured the world and elsewhere. Fanelli, a former member of Brooklyn jump-blues/swing/rockabilly band the Gas House Gorillas and New York City instrumental surf-rock band Mister Neutron, also composes and records film soundtracks. He writes GuitarWorld.com's The Next Bend column, which is dedicated to B-bender guitars and guitarists. His latest liner notes can be found in Sony/Legacy's Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Complete Epic Recordings Collection. Follow him on Facebook,Twitter and/or Instagram.

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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.