7 Iconic Guitars
AXE BASS
The hard rock bass guitarist Gene Simmons of KISS commissioned star luthier Steve Carr to build a prototype of a guitar that would represent the band’s cynicism and badass attitude on stage. It was shaped like a battle-axe and aimed at being handled as a weapon. For every fan of the face painted, energy bombshells, there are two who dislike them, yet the guitar gimmick was a big hit. It has been a running trademark for the band that has been selling like hotcakes despite an insane price tag.
WASHBURN HAWK CUSTOM
Bob Marley’s custom made Washburn 22 fret wing series Hawk guitar has been termed as one of the most expensive guitars in the world. It enjoys this status because this was the rastaman’s personal guitar and none of the others would ever be available on public domain. This has been classified as a national asset by the Jamaican government, and the current owner was offered a whopping $5 million, though he refused to sell it. Fortunately for fans, there are custom guitar makers who offer a replica of this masterpiece.
THE TWANG MACHINE
This is going to be the most oxymoronic shape on the list, a rectangle, designed after older stringed instruments that were made out of cigar boxes. Apparently, American R&B vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, Bo Diddley hit himself in the nuts while jumping and playing his guitar on stage, and so he got himself this. We don’t know how that defended him against a similar accident in future, but today it stands as one of the most iconic guitars, maybe because of Diddley’s status as the man who influenced Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and a lot more biggies. Gretsch still makes replicas of The Twang Machine.
BLACKIE
Eric Clapton got this assembled from three different old Fender Stratocasters out of six he had bought Nashville. He gave away one each to friends, George Harrison, Steve Winwood and Pete Townshend, and dismantled the rest to build Blackie, named so for its black finish. This may be one of the most recognisable celebrityassociated guitars in the world, even without any horns, dark inlays or radical motifs. It remained his favourite for a long time, and hits like “Cocaine” and “Wonderful Tonight” have all been recorded, live or in studio, on it. In 2004, it was named as one of the top 10 Fender Stratocasters “to die for”.
FRANKENSTRAT
Also popular as The Frankenstein, this Stratocaster was assembled by Eddie Van Halen himself by combining a Fender look and a Gibson sound. His knowledge of electrical circuitry was limited, so he removed both tone control potentiometers and wired the pickups in a simple circuit. He famously used a knob that read “tone” on the volume control spot. It was originally painted black and white by Van Halen, but he got pissed when people started copying his guitar. He finally painted over it with red Schwinn bicycle paint and crisscrossing black & white lines. It is one of the most replicated guitars today.
TRIGGER
What’s so great about an old acoustic guitar that has a withered hole instead of a pick guard? That! Willie Nelson, the country dude, got his guitar broken into pieces by a drunk man, who managed to fall on it right on the stage. This Martin N-20 classical guitar was a replacement and has stuck with the man for over 45 years. It was meant to be played finger-style but Nelson’s ruthless strum picks dug a hole into it. Named after Roy Rogers’ horse, itt stands as one of the most iconic guitars in the world.
OLD BOY SG S
This rough, rustic solid guitar looked half finished when John Diggins closed making it on his kitchen table in about 2 weeks. Tony Iommi, of Black Sabbath, had pursued Diggins to accompany them to the States as a tech guy for him on the tour, and he didn’t have time for a finer finish. However, the guitar had tremendously improved upon the sound of Iommi’s previous instrument, and its custom cross inlays complimented the band’s dark image. To add to that look, at a later date, the guitar got left behind in a car on a hot afternoon and the paint bubbled up. Iommi retired the guitar after decades of ruthless playing, but it still stands priceless among all Sabbath guitar fans.!