List of guitars

Eric Clapton performing in 1978 with Blackie

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

The 1956 Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar on display at Elvis Presley's Graceland.

0-9

• The 0001 Strat – David Gilmour is the owner of this Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. 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.
• 34346 - Fiesta Red Stratocaster 1959 - Purchased by Cliff Richard in 1959 for his guitarist Hank Marvin. This guitar is believed to be the first Stratocaster imported in to the UK and was used on The Shadows hit "Apache". Currently in possession of Bruce Welch (rhythm guitarist of The Shadows)

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.
• Arm The Homeless, Tom Morello's most famous guitar. Morello had the guitar custom made by Performance Guitar USA, but hated everything about it and reassembled it completely. The only thing that went unchanged was the Stratocaster 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.
• The Bass of Doom - a Fender Jazz Bass used by Jaco Pastorius. Robert Trujillo currently owns the instrument.
• The Beast - A '59 Gibson Les Paul, owned by Bernie Marsden of the band Whitesnake, so named because its volume is so much louder than other guitars.
• Black Beauty - Jimi Hendrix's main guitar in his final days. 1968 Fender Stratocaster, serial number #222625. Body is in black finish, with white pickguard and a maple neck. Kept in possession with Monika Dannemann, Hendrix's last girlfriend, well over two decades. Commonly believed to be passed onto Uli Jon Roth after Dannemann's death in 1996. However, its current whereabouts are unknown since Roth went through bankruptcy in 2005. "Black Beauty" also refers to many other guitars and guitar models such as Gibson Les Paul Custom.
• The Black Dog - Joe Satriani's heavily modified Ibanez Radius guitar. Originally came with HSS pickup layout but middle cavity is filled to employ HH configuration. Also with a replaced neck, Ibanez Edge tremolo unit. Refinished in black and painted with white sharpie all over. His Ibanez signature JS Series is based on this guitar. 88 copies of tribute guitar, JSBDG, was released in 2008.
• The Black Strat – the nickname for a black Fender Stratocaster guitar played by David Gilmour of the progressive rock band Pink Floyd.
• Blackie – 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.
• Blue - Blue Fernandes Stratocaster used by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. It's covered with stickers.
• Beano Burst - A sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard played by Eric Clapton during his time with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers and early Cream days. Thought to be a late 1959 or 1960 model. The name stems from the photograph of the John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers album cover, on which Clapton is a reading a Beano magazine. The guitar was stolen. Eric Clapton stated in an interview he never found another guitar like it and he still misses it.

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 1972 cream colored Fender Stratocaster guitar. It is known as the Duck owing to a Donald Duck sticker pasted onto the headstock of the instrument.
• The Dragon Telecaster - A 1959 Telecaster used by both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in both The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, named for its unique green, yellow and red paint applied by Page in 1967. It would be the guitar to record the famous solo on Stairway To Heaven

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.

F

Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat, pictured with a 22 fret Kramer neck

• 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.
• Frankenstrat – also known as The Frankenstein, is an electric guitar created by Eddie Van Halen using the body of a Stratocaster made by Boogie Bodies with components from other guitars. The name is based on Frankenstein's monster, a fictional creature made from parts of different corpses. A replica of the guitar is housed in the Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, in Washington D.C.

G

• The Grail - Zakk Wylde's 1981 cream Les Paul Custom with black bullseye paint. It was once lost in Texas when it fell from the back of a transport truck, but brought back to Wylde later.
• Green Meanie - Steve Vai's self-modified Charvel superstrat. Main guitar in his David Lee Roth band era from 1986 to 1987. Maple fingerboard, basswood boy painted in Day-Glo green (hence the name), HSH pickup layout with 5-way switch and Floyd Rose locking tremolo. Bridge post mounting went collapsed in a soundcheck for Madison Square Garden show and the guitar is since retired. Many features on this guitar are carried onto 1987 Ibanez JEM777, his first signature guitar.

L

• Lenny – the Fender Stratocaster given to Stevie Ray Vaughan by his wife Lenny in 1980. It has since sold for US$623,500.
• 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.
• Lucille – the name given to B.B. King's guitars. They are usually black Gibson guitars similar to the ES-355.
• Lucy - George Harrison of the Beatles named a red Gibson Les Paul guitar he received from Eric Clapton in August 1968 "Lucy." Clapton played the guitar on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Blues guitarist Albert King also played a guitar named "Lucy."

M

• Magic - A '59 Les Paul previously owned by Peter Green and Gary Moore, and purchased in 2014 by Kirk Hammett for 2 million $. Has one of the pick-ups magnetically out-of-phase, giving it its unique tone.
• Micawber - Name from an 1850 Charles Dickens' " David Copperfield" character. 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. Micawber is still touring with Richards; "Start Me Up", "Honky Tonk Woman", "Jumping Jack Flash".
• Monterey Strat - A '65 Fiesta red Stratocaster famously burned and smashed by Jimi Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival. A corner of it is currently on display in Seattle at Experience Music Project (EMP).
• Mosrite – White Ventures II – Used by Johnny Ramone. Bought in 1977 to replace a stolen blue Mosrite. Owned until The Ramones disbanded in 1996 – later sold to producer Daniel Rey.

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. 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.
• Nancy – Roy Buchanan's Butterscotch 1953 Fender Telecaster, Serial number 2324.
• Number One – Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Fender Stratocaster with a 1963 body, 1959 pickups, and a 1962 neck. Vaughan bought the guitar at Ray Henning’s Heart of Texas Music store in 1974.

O

• Old Black – the name given to the main Gibson Les Paul electric guitar used by rock musician Neil Young.
• The Old Boy – a left-handed SG-lookalike that was built by John Diggins ("Jaydee") and that served as Tony Iommi's main guitar for many years. It has since been retired and remains in Iommi's possession.

• 
  Steve Vai playing Evo
• 
  David Gilmour playing The Black Strat in 2006
• 
  One of B.B. King's Lucille guitars
• 
  Neil Young playing Old Black on the CSNY "Freedom Of Speech Tour '06"

P

• Pearly Gates – Billy Gibbons' signature 1959 Gibson Les Paul. Traded a rolling wreck auto named Pearly Gates for money to buy the guitar, which assumed the name. See also: ZZ Top equipment.
• Pepto Pink – also referred to as Big Pink, this is Bob Weir's pink custom Modulus guitar. It was given to Weir by Bob Dylan in 1987 after conclusion of the Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead 1987 Tour. The guitar has been played by Bob Weir at Grateful Dead, The Other Ones, Ratdog and Further concerts.

R

Jerry Garcia's Rosebud guitar

• Red Special – an electric guitar owned by Queen guitarist Brian May and custom-built by him and his father, Harold. 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.
• Rocky - name given to George Harrison's blue Fender Stratocaster. The guitarist painted with bright DayGlo paint, nail polish and glitter in a psychedelic style. The name "Rocky" is prominently displayed on the head stock. The guitar first appeared on the "All You Need Is Love" TV taping and also displayed in the jacket booklet of Magical Mystery Tour album.
• Rosebud – Jerry Garcia's fourth custom guitar made by the luthier Doug Irwin
• The Red Strat – David Gilmour's second-most famous Stratocaster. 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

• Sabionari (1679) - one of the five surviving guitars made by Antonio Stradivari and the only one still playable. It is a five-course baroque guitar.
• Spidey – a yellow Gibson SG owned and played by Stan Lee of 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 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.
• This Machine Kills Fascists – a message that Woody Guthrie placed on his guitars in 1943 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.
• 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". In 1970, one year after acquiring the guitar, Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch. Trigger lore also tells of the guitar being secretly removed and hidden at Nelson's business manager's home for fear of forfeiture to the IRS for auction during Nelson's income tax problem days.
• 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.

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
• Wild Child - a custom Jackson RR model used by Alexi Laiho. Black paint and gold hardware including Floyd Rose tremolo, single Jackson J-50BC pickup with JE-1000 gain boost circuit, yellow pinstripe bevels, "Wild Child" sticker with yellow letters. Stolen in September 2002 after the Spinefest show and since lost. "Wild Child" is also a nickname to Laiho and reference to a W.A.S.P. song. Jackson limited RR 24 and his later ESP signature models are all based on this guitar.
• 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.
• Woodstock Stratocaster - a 1968 Fender Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix played in Woodstock Festival. Body is finished in Olympic White, bearing the serial number #240981. Sold to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and now rests in the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle.

• Brian May playing Red Special
  Brian May playing Red Special
• 
  Jeff Beck playing Tele-Gib in 1979
• 
  The Woodstock Stratocaster, played by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock Festival
• 
  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

• List of signature model guitars
• List of string instruments

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{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• 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. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• "The 10 most expensive guitars ever sold: in pictures". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 November 2013. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
• Georges, Cary; Kosasky, Avram (editors). "50 Guitars". Los Angeles Times Magazine. Retrieved 14 November 2013. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)