List of guitars
This list of guitars details individual guitars which have become famous because of their use by famous musicians; their seminal status; their high value; and the like.
Guitars
0-9
- The 0001 Strat – David Gilmour is the owner of this Fender Stratocaster electric guitar.[1] This guitar is one of the most notable in his collection as it has the 0001 serial number, although it's unclear whether it is the real 0001 Strat because the neck (which has the 0001 serial number on it) could have been taken off the original.[1]
A
- The Abel Axe, an aluminum electric guitar invented by Jeff Abel and engineered by James Jones. Its distinguishing features are the holes on the body.
B
- The Babysnakes SG, used by Frank Zappa which had been made by a fan in Phoenix, which had several distinctive features such as an extra fret and seahorse inlays. Zappa had it customised further by his luthier, Rex Bogue, who added phase switches and a pre-amp. It was then Zappa's main choice of guitar during the late 1970s.[2][3]
- The Bass of Doom - Fender Jazz Bass, used by Jaco Pastorius. Robert Trujillo currently owns the instrument.[4]
- The Black Strat – the nickname for a black Fender Stratocaster guitar played by David Gilmour of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd.
- Blackie [5] – the nickname given by Eric Clapton to his favorite Fender Stratocaster. In 2004, Blackie was sold for USD $959,500 at a Christie's auction to support the Crossroads Centre, a drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centre founded by Clapton.
- Brownie – the name for a Fender Stratocaster that was used extensively by Eric Clapton during the early 1970s.
C
- The Concorde - the name given to Randy Rhodes' custom guitar built by Grover Jackson. An asymmetric 'V' shaped body with pointy "wings", revamp of the Gibson Flying V. This prototype evolved into Jackson Randy Rhoads model and later ensued Jackson Guitars brand.
D
- Duck – the name given to Yngwie Malmsteen's 1971 cream colored Fender Stratocaster guitar. It is known as the Duck owing to a Donald Duck sticker pasted onto the headstock of the instrument.[6][7]
E
- Epiphone Supernova – A customised electric guitar featuring a distinctive union flag design given to Noel Gallagher of the English rock band Oasis as a present by his now ex-wife, Meg Matthews. A tribute to the original was manufactured by Epiphone. The original guitar is now on display at the British Music Experience at the O2 arena in London.
- Evo – the name that Steve Vai has given to his primary stage and recording guitar, an Ibanez JEM7VWH.It was co designed by Vai and guitar manufacturer Ibanez in 1987.
- Eye of Horus – a custom bass guitar made by Jens Ritter for Phil Lesh, it was acquired by the National Museum of American History in 2011 and is in the museum's permanent collection.[8][9]
F
- The Fool – a 1964 Gibson SG guitar, painted for Eric Clapton by the Dutch design collective The Fool. One of the world's best-known guitars, it symbolizes the psychedelic era.[10]
- Frankenstrat – also known as The Frankenstein, is an electric guitar created by Eddie Van Halen using the body of a Stratocaster with components from other guitars. The name is based on Frankenstein's monster, a fictional creature made from parts of different corpses. It is housed in the Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington D.C.
L
- Lenny – the Fender Stratocaster given to Stevie Ray Vaughan by his wife Lenny in 1980. It has since sold for US$623,500.[5][11]
- Lightning Bolt – a custom guitar made by Steve Cripe for Jerry Garcia in 1993. It is on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.[12]
- Lucille [5] – the name given to B.B. King's guitars. They are usually black Gibson guitars similar to the ES-355.
- Lucy – the name George Harrison of the Beatles gave to the unique red Gibson Les Paul guitar he received from Eric Clapton in August 1968. Used by Clapton for recording the leads of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Lucy is one of the most famous electric guitars in the world.
M
- Micawber - A 1953 Fender Telecaster owned by Keith Richards that is played in Open G tuning with the sixth string removed. The modification include a Gibson PAF humbucker pickup in the neck position that is mounted backwards, a brass bridge made by Schaller, an early lap-steel pickup in the bridge position as well as custom wiring.
N
- Nano guitar – Dustin W. Carr, under the direction of Professor Harold G. Craighead, created the nano guitar in the Cornell Nanofabrication Facility in 1997. The idea came about as a fun way to illustrate nanotechnology, and it did capture popular attention.[13] It is disputed as to whether the nano guitar should be classified as a guitar, but it is the common opinion that it is in fact a guitar.[14]
- Nancy – Roy Buchanan's Butterscotch 1953 Fender Telecaster, Serial number 2324.[15]
O
- Old Black [5] – the name given to the main Gibson Les Paul electric guitar used by rock musician Neil Young.
-
David Gilmour playing The Black Strat in 2006
-
Neil Young playing Old Black on the CSNY "Freedom Of Speech Tour '06"
P
- Pearly Gates – Billy Gibbons' signature 1959 Gibson Les Paul.[5] See also: ZZ Top equipment.
- Pepto Pink – also referred to as Big Pink, this is Bob Weir's pink custom Modulus guitar.[16] It was given to Weir by Bob Dylan in 1987 after conclusion of the Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead 1987 Tour.[16] The guitar has been played by Bob Weir at Grateful Dead, The Other Ones, Ratdog and Further concerts.
R
- Red Special – an electric guitar owned by Queen guitarist Brian May and custom-built by him and his father, Harold.[17] The Red Special is also sometimes named in reviews as the Fireplace or the Old Lady, both nicknames used by May when referring to the guitar.[18]
- Rosebud – Jerry Garcia's fourth custom guitar made by the luthier Doug Irwin[19]
- The Red Strat – David Gilmour's second-most famous Stratocaster.[1] It was used during Pink Floyd's last two albums, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell along with white-colored back-up versions built to the same specifications.
S
- Spidey – a yellow Gibson SG owned and played by Stan Lee of the The Dickies, so named because of its Spiderman sticker. A few years ago the headstock was broken off while in transit between the USA & Europe however it was repaired and was back in the when the Dickies toured the UK with the Damned in 2012
T
- Tele-Gib - a Fender Telecaster owned and played by Jeff Beck, heavily modified by Seymour W. Duncan in 1974 to employ two PAF humbuckers.[20]
- This Machine Kills Fascists – a message that Woody Guthrie placed on his guitars in 1943[21] that has inspired many artists. Guitar manufacturer Gibson has replicated Guthrie's 1945 Southern Jumbo complete with sticker.
- Three-String Trance Wonder – Seasick Steve's guitar that resembles a Fender Coronado or a Teisco EP-7. It has an old Harmony pickup added (with duct tape).
- Tiger – Jerry Garcia's main guitar from 1979 to 1989 made by Doug Irwin, it sold at auction in 2002 for USD $850,000. The total price was USD $957,500 per the addition of the buyer's commission fee.[22]
- Trigger – Willie Nelson's Martin N-20 Classical guitar. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for USD $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger".[23][24] In 1970, one year after acquiring the guitar, Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
- Top Hat – A second guitar made by Steve Cripe for Jerry Garcia in 1993. It is on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.[12]
W
- White Lightning - a custom aluminum neck Explorer style guitar featuring a replica Rickenbacker light show installed in the body. Created by Electrical Guitar Company as part of the PRF BBQ in Chicago in 2012, gifted to event organizer, Jap Herron guitarist Jonah Winnick
- Wolf – Also known as "Wolfie", this is another of Jerry Garcia's custom guitars made by Doug Irwin, it sold at auction for USD $700,000 in 2002. The total price was USD $789,500 per the buyer's commission fee.[22]
-
Brian May playing Red Special
-
Jeff Beck playing Tele-Gib in 1979
-
Woody Guthrie in 1943 with his guitar labeled This machine kills fascists
-
Jerry Garcia playing Tiger in 1987
-
Willie Nelson's guitar, Trigger, has been signed by several of Nelson's friends
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The #0001 Stratocaster". Gilmourish.com. 1954-09-28.
- ↑ Darrin Fox (2006), "The Guitars Of Frank Zappa", Guitar Player
- ↑ Michael Leonard (2011), Frank Zappa's Gibson Fetish
- ↑ Metallica's Trujillo Rescues Jaco Pastorius' Bass Of Doom, 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Dave Hunter (2010), Star Guitars: 101 Guitars That Rocked the World, ISBN 0-7603-3821-3,
These are the guitars so famous that their names are often household words: B. B. King's Lucille, Eric Clapton's Blackie, Stevie Ray Vaughan's First Wife, Billy F Gibbons' Pearly Gates, Neil Young's Old Black, and many more.
- ↑ "Guitars". Yngwiemalmsteen.com. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Duck: Yngwie's Malmsteen's 1972 Fender Strat,". Guitar World. August 1994. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ↑ "National Museum of American History Receives Phil Lesh's "Eye of Horus" Bass Guitar". Americanhistory.si.edu. July 14, 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Amador, Valery (July 28, 2011). "Smithsonian Institution Acquires the Eye of Horus Bass Guitar Made by Jens Ritter". Bass Musician Magazine. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Oxman, J. Craig (December 2011). "Clapton's Fool: History's Greatest Guitar?". Vintage Guitar. pp. 62–66.
- ↑ "The 10 most expensive guitars ever sold", Daily Telegraph (7) "Lenny" - Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1965 Fender Composite Stratocaster)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Armato, Steve; McCallister, James D. (January 2010). "Holy Cripes! The Story of Jerry Garcia's Last Guitars". Vintage Guitar Magazine. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Payne J, Phillips M, The World's Best Book. Running Press, 2009. ISBN 0-7624-3755-3, p. 109
- ↑ Schummer J, Baird D. Nanotechnology Challenges: implications for philosophy, ethics and society. World Scientific, 2006. ISBN 981-256-729-1, pp. 50–51; Nordmann A. Noumenal Technology: Reflections on the incredible tininess of nano. Techne: Research in Philosophy and Technology 8(3), 2005 read online, accessed August 15, 2010
- ↑ Balmer, Paul (2009). The Fender Telecaster Handbook: How To Buy, Maintain, Set Up, Troubleshoot, and Modify Your Tele. MBI Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-0-7603-3646-5.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Grateful Dead Gear: The Band's Instruments, Sound Systems, and Recording Sessions from 1965 to 1995 - Blair Jackson. pp. 233–234.
- ↑ "The Red Special Story". "Brian May Guitars - The Official web site". Retrieved 2009-12-28.
- ↑ Hey, what's that sound: Homemade guitars The Guardian. Retrieved August 17, 2011
- ↑ "Spotlight Exhibit: Jerry Garcia's Rosebud Guitar". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Story of the Tele-Gib - Seymour Duncan Blog". June 4, 2012. Retrieved Dec 18, 2014.
- ↑ Robert Weir, ed. (2007). Class in America [Three Volumes]: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 337.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Selvin, Joel (May 9, 2002). "Garcia's guitars fetch record / 'Wolf,' 'Tiger' sold at memorabilia auction for $1.74 million". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
- ↑ Farndale, Nigel (May 4, 2010). "Interview: Willie Nelson". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Willie Nelson's Guitar Trigger!". Willienelsongeneralstore.com. Willie Nelson and Friends Museum and General Store. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
Further reading
- Terry Burrows (1998), The Complete Encyclopedia of the Guitar, ISBN 978-0-02-865028-9
- André Millard (2004), The Electric Guitar: A History of an American Icon, ISBN 0-8018-7862-4
- Beaujour, Scapelliti (2013), Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, ISBN 978-1-61893-095-8
- Neville Marten (2009), Guitar Heaven: The Most Famous Guitars to Electrify Our World, ISBN 0-06-169919-5
- Tolinski, Steinblatt, Beaujour (1995), Guitars That Shook the World: A Star-Studded Collection of the World's Most Famous Guitars, ISBN 978-0-7935-3488-3
- Tony Bacon (2012), The Ultimate Guitar Sourcebook, ISBN 1-937994-04-X
- Yaqoob, Janine (November 28, 2012). "Jimi Hendrix's favourite guitar which he switched before setting cheaper version on fire sells for £250,000". Daily Mail. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- "The 10 most expensive guitars ever sold: in pictures". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- Georges, Cary; Kosasky, Avram (editors). "50 Guitars". Los Angeles Times Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
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