As a drummer I have great respect for the Fender ‘’sound’’. Especially the Fender Stratocaster. Eric Clapton played it quite a bit as did the late Jerry Garcia.
Clapton has played a Strat almost exclusively ever since Blind Faith broke up in ‘69.
Garcia played a ‘57 Strat (the “Alligator” guitar given to him by Graham Nash) between ‘70 and ‘73, after which he switched to custom guitars.
I lost most interest in Clapton when he switched to the Strat. On the other hand, Jeff Beck switched and still amazes me to this day.