A Fender Stratocaster, what else, after all the Shadows were gods and Hank Marvin the idol above all others!
I never owned one, not at a price of £150 and getting 5 shillings a week pocket money.
But I did teach myself the guitar, with the help of Bert Weedon's 'Play in a Day'and the Shadoows 'theme from Shane' as a first goal.
I taught my self all the Shadows leads if only because some friends and I decided to form a group and we drew lots to see who would play what. I drew 'lead guitar' and my friend Johnny drew 'drums.' At the time, he was the only one who had a guitar. Our group did get going in the end (we were awful)but did get a few paid gigs.
It was several years later when I had discovered folk music that I realised I needed to learn to play chords. My musical ability has suffered from this 'wrong way round' learning pattern ever since.
In later years I really lusted after an Ovation and to my joy made myself afford one. My beautiful black 'Pinnacle' sits in its case and rarely sees the light of day since the stroke I suffered last year denied me the ability to play at any reasonable standard. I may recover the ability to torture a few chords out of it in time.

All the best,

Bob