Throughout the years there have been a great deal of prominent and iconic guitarists that we all know and love. But today I thought I would give some love and attention to the guitars that these rock stars played and gained notoriety playing. So here are 9 iconic guitars, played by 9 iconic guitarists.
The Log - Les Paul
Where best to start than with the man who started it all? For those not in the know, Les Paul isn't just a model of guitar, but a man who revolutionised the music industry and changed it forever. Lester Paul built the first fully functional electric guitar, by building his own pickups and attaching them to a thick and sturdy piece of wood for resonance, building and attaching a bridge and neck. With that, 'The Log' (Nicknamed for the fact it was a block of wood with strings on it.) was ready to make it's live debut. It sounded unlike anything heard before but people didn't get it, because it didn't look like a guitar. So later Les Paul sawed an acoustic guitar in half and added the semi-acoustic style wings to 'The Log' and an iconic guitar was born!
The Red Special - Brian May
Another guitar born out of necessity and ingenuity is Brian May's 'Red Special'. Made by May and his father Harold at their home in the 1960s, the 'Red Special' also held the nickname of 'The Fireplace' because the neck itself was actually made on the home's old fireplace! Several layers of paint and coating later it gained it's unmistakable red colouring. The pickups and electronic were modified and added to the guitar and before we knew it, the (at the time) one and only 'Red Special', with it's unique tone was ready to change the soundscape of rock history!
Mongrel Custom "Arm The Homeless" - Tom Morello
One of the most eye catching and unusual guitars of rock history is Tom Morello's Mongrel Custom. Often referred to as the "Hippo Guitar" or the "Arm The Homeless" guitar, the Mongrel Custom has been in Morello's arsenal from the mid 80's. With it's high gain Seymour Duncan pickups and custom Floyd Rose bridge, this guitar has allowed Morello to create a sound wholly his own, generating some of the most expressive and experimental sounds any guitarist has ever made!
Lucille - B.B. King
'Lucille' is a funny one. B.B. King's striking Gibson hollow body guitar 'Lucille', isn't one guitar but every Gibson ES-330 or ES-335 he ever own or played. Always visually similar with a black top and gold hard wear, King was never seen performing anything else. The story about the name is perhaps one of the best parts about this legendary guitar. In 1949, in Twist, Arkansas, King was playing a nightclub heated by a burning kerosene barrel. During the show two men began fighting, knocking over the barrel and setting the building on fire! Once evacuated, King realised he had left his beloved $30 Gibson inside and ran back in to rescue it. He later found out the two men were fighting over a woman named, you guessed it, Lucille! He named his guitar and each guitar after it Lucille to remind himself to "never again to do something as stupid as run into a burning building or fight over a woman".
Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" V - Randy Rhoads
Another visually striking guitar, Randy Rhoads' very own Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" V. Rhoads had many guitars across his incredible career, but none stand out more than the 'Polka Dot V'. Rhoads adopted the black and white polka dot aesthetic while playing as a member of the rock band Quiet Riot, which became so notable that the band began using it as part of their visual branding. But that was only the beginning for Rhoads as his career peaked when he became the guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne playing with him live an on the albums 'Blizzard Of Ozz' and 'Diary Of A Madman'. Through out all of this, Rhoads' Karl Sandoval "Polka Dot" V was the striking and iconic guitar that he was often seen playing and another legend of the guitar world was born!
1964 "JB Hutto" Res-O-Glass Airline - Jack White
From eye catcher to eye catcher, next up is Jack White's weird and wonderful '1964 "JB Hutto" Res-O-Glass Airline" guitar. White played this guitar from the very beginning of The White Stripes, with it becoming one of their most notable visual trade marks. It matched their stage wear, album artwork and even music videos, it is hard to imagine The White Stripes without that simple but striking red and white colour scheme. Between that and it's quirky and unusual body shape, it was set to be a stand out star of a guitar from the get go!
The Fender Stratocaster - Jimi Hendrix
Of course, the Fender Stratocaster was and has always been an iconic guitar in it's own right, often being the guitar a lot of people would visualise when asked to picture a guitar. But that being said, arguably no one stood out more with a Fender Strat than the man himself Jimi Hendrix. While being a left handed guitar player, Hendrix would always play right handed guitars, flipped upside down, with the strings swapped to a left handed positioning. This gave him the unique tone he is best known for as a result of this swap and the slanted positioning of the Stratocaster bridge pickup, his low strings had a brighter tone than usual while his high strings had a darker and bass-ier tone than what was common for the guitar. A guitar and guitarist pairing for the ages!
The Gibson EDS-1275 "Double Neck SG" - Jimmy Page
The Gibson EDS-1275 is possibly one of classic rock's most well recognised guitars, thanks to, in no small part, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. Best known being used in the live performances of 'Stairway To Heaven', allowing a smooth performance that didn't involve swapping guitars mid song. It has been voted for in several polls as "the coolest guitar ever" and it is not hard to see why. I am sure every guitarist has day dreamed of owning and playing this guitar at least once!
The Frankenstrat - Eddie Van Halen
This list could never be complete without ol' Frankie! We started the list with an innovator and we finish with another! Eddie Van Halen's 'Frankenstrat' was built by Eddie himself as he aimed to create a guitar that had the sound of a classic Gibson guitar while have the body shape and vibrato arm capabilities of a Fender Stratocaster. In this mish-mash of guitars comes the name, much like Frankenstein's monster, it is made of different parts from different guitars! The guitar has gone on to be recreated several times by Eddie's own company EVH in many forms as it is a highly beloved guitar and much like all the other guitars on this list, a truly iconic guitar.
And there we have it, 9 iconic guitars played by equally iconic guitarists! What was your favourite in this blog post? Did I miss out an iconic guitar that you are a big fan of? Let me know, I'd love to know! I could talk about guitars all day! I often do! Until next time, play loud and stay safe!
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