The most iconic guitars of all time

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Guitars have shaped music history. Without them, there would be no blues, jazz, and certainly no rock 'n' roll, so it's appropriate that they receive celebrity status equal to their players.

 

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Eddie Van Halen - 'Frankenstrat' -

The Van Halen guitarist wanted to combine a Gibson sound with a Fender body, so he created his own monster. The paintwork is truly remarkable too!

 

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B.B. King - 'Lucille' - Reportedly, after rescuing his guitar from a burning dance hall in Arkansas, B.B. King found out that the fire was set by two guys fighting over a woman called Lucille. Ever since 1949, the late bluesman named all his guitars 'Lucille.'

 

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Jimmy Page - Gibson EDS-1275 - Who can forget Page playing Led Zepplin's 'Stairway to Heaven' on his double neck Gibson?

 

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Slash - '59 Gibson Les Paul replica - Slash will forever be associated with the Gibson Les Paul. But the Guns N' Roses guitarist actually used a Les Paul replica built by a luthier named Kris Derrig to record and tour the band's first album, 'Appetite for Destruction.'

 

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Kurt Cobain - Fender Jag-Stang - This model was designed by Nirvana's late front man. It was essentially a hybrid of two Fender guitars: a Mustang and a Jaguar.

 

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Eric Clapton - 'Blackie' - Eric Clapton's 'Blackie' is a customized Fender Stratocaster built from parts of three separate guitars. It was sold at an auction for US$959,500 in 2004. The profits went to the guitarist's rehab center, Crossroads.

 

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Jerrry Garcia - 'Tiger' -

Grateful Dead's late front man used his 'Tiger' guitar for over 10 years. The guitar was custom-built by Doug Irwin, and was quite heavy.

 

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Prince - 'Cloud' - The first 'Cloud' guitar was built by luthier Dave Rusan for the movie 'Purple Rain.' Prince's quintessential axe was later reproduced by Schecter guitars.

 

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Bruce Springsteen - Fender Esquire - It may look like a Telecaster, but the guitar used by The Boss on the cover of his classic album 'Born to Run' was, in fact, a modified 1950s Esquire.

 

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Zakk Wylde - 'Bullseye' - This is probably the most iconic guitar used by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Label Society's six-string man. Interestingly, the design was supposed to be a swirl, inspired by the Hitchcock film 'Vertigo,' but there was a mistake in the paint job.

 

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Jimi Hendrix - Fender Stratocaster - Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix was mostly seen playing Fender Stratocaster guitars. He also liked to set them on fire!

 

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Les Paul - Gibson Les Paul - Les Paul and Gibson joined forces to create one of the most popular guitars of all time: the Gibson Les Paul. The first ones went on sale in 1952.

 

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George Harrison - Rickenbacker 360 - The Beatles guitarist could be seen playing a 12-string Rickenbacker 360. Reportedly, Harrison's first 360 was the second 12-string Rickenbacker ever made!

 

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Keith Richards - 'Micawber' - Richards' 'Micawber' is an early '50s Fender Telecaster with the sixth string removed and tuned to open G. The guitar was named after a character in the Charles Dickens novel 'David Copperfield.'

 

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Angus Young - Gibson SG - You cannot think of the Gibson SG without AC/DC coming to mind. Angus Young has been playing them for decades.

 

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Steve Vai - Ibanez - Guitar virtuoso Steve Vai is known for his Ibanez model, which features a handle. Apparently, the handle is used to swing the guitar around on stage.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Why no Brian May’s red special?

 

[jw5]

Willie Nelson - 'Trigger' - Country legend Willie Nelson has been playing his Martin N-20 for over 40 years. The guitar has a hole in the body and was named after Western movie star Roy Rogers' horse.

 

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Paul McCartney - Höfner 500/1 - McCartney has played the Höfner "violin" bass since The Beatles days