This is the story that Bruce told me personally.
In the mid seventies when no one bought Cliff records and he disappeared from the charts, it was Bruce who put him back there with the album 'I'm Nearly Famous' which contained 'Devil Woman' & 'Miss You Nights' which shortly afterwards led to the single 'We Don't Talk Anymore', once again establishing Cliff as a mainstream artiste.
Bruce searched for and discovered a raft of great songs and got Cliff back 'at it' making credible music,away from the stuff that was turning him into a laughing stock in pop music. There's no other way to put it. That's what happened.
Cliff wanted to recompense Bruce for his efforts and Bruce didn't want any money and said to Cliff 'I wouldn't mind that old Strat in your cupboard under the stairs'. Consequently Cliff presented the Strat to Bruce and that's what he told me twenty years ago.
Whether or not people want to believe that is another matter but Bruce did Cliff a massive favour doing what he did, because he had become a joke.
Only to find out later that Cliff had planned to record a follow up album in France without telling Bruce, who found out from a fan over in San Fransisco whilst on holiday. You couldn't write it.