Here’s a thing. At around 2:43:00, Richard shows a blonde 1954 Telecaster, which he says was a gift from a very good friend. Could it be Mark’s ‘54? It’s hard to tell whether or not it’s the same instrument on the video as it’s difficult to see it in any great detail.
To be honest, I think there are more 1954 telecasters than just Mark’s, and he would probably tell that it’s his guitar, otherwise it would sound strange, at least to my taste.
True. But it certainly isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Mark would gift an instrument to someone like Richard. It just struck me as a bit of a coincidence that Mark happens (or happened!) to own a blonde 1954 Telecaster. And he does seem to have favoured his sunburst ‘66 Tele on recent tours. Still, like you say, it could have been a gift from any number of Richard’s musical acquaintances.
Giving away guitars is a common practice, in fact, I actually got my Gibson Advanced Jumbo as a gift, I know a YouTuber Rick Beato got his acoustic Gibson as a gift as well. Somehow, these instruments become the best ones you’ve ever played.
Mark got his 1954 Stratocaster and the vintage Martin D-18 as a gift and for a long time this Martin is Mark’s main songwriting partner. He uses it everywhere and plays it in every interview ever since.
There’s a high probability that it was a gift from Mark because you have to be somebody to give away instruments of this magnitude, they’re not cheap!
Mark famously and pretty publicly gifted his signature Strats to many of his bandmates and friends, and even to his daughter, funnily enough.