Greatest Single Famous Guitar Of All Time

[Deezer]

Robert Johnson himself is a legend. He virtually invented everything that goes along with the blues and rock and roll. His guitar was as basic as it could get and he did so much with it. That guitar is a symbol of everything the blues and rock and roll came from. Like i said before its not crazy like EVH's Frankestien, it doesnt shine like Jimmy's Les Pauls, it doesnt have a name unlike BB's Lucille, it is just a guitar. It represents all the used, hand-me-down acoustics in the hands of beginning guitarists all across the world wanting to unlock the secret of music and see how far it can take them. I doesnt matter to me what type of guitar it was, it only matter that he played it and started this whole crazy trip. This is just my opinion though.

Yet when Keith Richards heard him play through this simple guitar, he thought there were two players playing that stuff. Hmmm.....

[Big Klu]

Robert Johnson himself is a legend. He virtually invented everything that goes along with the blues and rock and roll. His guitar was as basic as it could get and he did so much with it. That guitar is a symbol of everything the blues and rock and roll came from. Like i said before its not crazy like EVH's Frankestien, it doesnt shine like Jimmy's Les Pauls, it doesnt have a name unlike BB's Lucille, it is just a guitar. It represents all the used, hand-me-down acoustics in the hands of beginning guitarists all across the world wanting to unlock the secret of music and see how far it can take them. I doesnt matter to me what type of guitar it was, it only matter that he played it and started this whole crazy trip. This is just my opinion though.

Again...your argument is its symbolism or vibe or whatever, which you're confusing with the actual thing.

The best example I could give is the holy grail. Yes, it its symbolic of eternal life and physical contact with Jesus/god, but the grail itself is legendary. People would like to know what it looks like, search for it, own it, use it, discuss it, watch a Spielberg movie about it...etc. Its legendary status is not merely what it represents, but what it is.

yeah...looking for a discussion on the nature of things is probably not to be found on lz.com, but what the hell....

[Evster2012]

I though it was called 'Kramer'? Does he have a guitar or something by that name, or I am I just losing it?

The guitar on the first VH album was a hodgepodge of various parts from makers like Charvel and DiMarzio. He painted it with Schwinn bicycle paint no less! He ripped out (or more honestly ripped apart) the electronic, leaving the wires for the middle pickup exposed and for some twisted reason, screwed the (inoperative) pickup selector switch into the pickup cavity, and yet left the neck pickup in place, although disconnected. He trashed the tone pots, leaving just a single volume pot (oddly with a tone knob stuck on it). He also screwed a quarter under the free-floating tremeolo so it wouldn't go flat when he bent a string. He replaced the strap buttons with eyehooks, cut the control area from the pickguard, discarding the rest. The thing was indeed a Frankenstrat, lol!

The Kramer came a few years later when he got an endorsement deal. He retained the striped paint scheme, but you'll see that a Kramer model has no routing for middle or neck pickups, and that the cavity for the bridge pickup is now at an angle. The signature Kramer banana headstock is also a dead giveaway, as the original Frankenstein's Charvel headstock was the traditional Strat shape.

[Deezer]

Your holy grail reference is also symbolic. Is the holy grail a cup or something else? Heck, some people think it's the fact that Jesus had a baby. At least we know that what Robert Johnson's guitar is: a guitar.

The significance of that guitar is quite matter of fact: it is one this guitar that Robert Johnson changed the face of American music. That makes it very important. If Clapton hadn't been as brilliant a player as he is, Blackie wouldn't have sold for almost a million. Page's Les Pauls would not be as legendary if not for the brilliant player he was. Same with Stevie, with Hendrix, with any guitar player. A guitar is just a guitar. It is wood and strings. The player is what makes it legendary.

[Evster2012]

Wow, this is sure getting academic, lol! I think calling Page's LP "Holy Grail" is no more ambiguous than calling Clapton's Start "Blackie". It's just a name, not an Indiana Jones quest. No offence. Just my opinion. Different guitars have different significance to different people. Some would say Jaco's bass or Django's guitar. As the title of the thread is "Most Famous", I'd be inclined to go with one known the world around by the most people as being the "World's most famous guitar" as opposed to say "Most significant". Hell, I know a lot of non-musicians from 80s who might point to Prince's guitar! That was certainly a sign of the times (Oh shit, I just realized that was the title of his album! Totally unintentional!!). Or Michael and Rudy Schenkers black and white Flying Vs. Personally, I think Jimmy with the doubleneck probably stands out as the most iconic imagery if you're talking rock guitar. But these things resonate differently with folks. I'm sure most people on the street have seen Jimmy's doubleneck than say Johnson's acoustic. We're talking about famous guitars right? If I stood in front of a high school audtorium and put Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen on the overheard projector beside Robert Johnson, who do you think the majority of kids would recognize? Again, the question states "famous". Johnson's guitar might hold special meaning to blues musicians and blues afficianados, but it's a far wider world. I'm sure more people would spot Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker. Or Geddy Lee's for that matter. Or Lennon's. It's a shame this has unravelled into what it's become. I'm just trying to offer a bit of my own perspective. Hope I haven't offended anyone.

[Deezer]

Wow, this is sure getting academic, lol! I think calling Page's LP "Holy Grail" is no more ambiguous than calling Clapton's Start "Blackie". It's just a name, not an Indiana Jones quest. No offence. Just my opinion. Different guitars have different significance to different people. Some would say Jaco's bass or Django's guitar. As the title of the thread is "Most Famous", I'd be inclined to go with one known the world around by the most people as being the "World's most famous guitar" as opposed to say "Most significant". Hell, I know a lot of non-musicians from 80s who might point to Prince's guitar! That was certainly a sign of the times (Oh shit, I just realized that was the title of his album! Totally unintentional!!). Or Michael and Rudy Schenkers black and white Flying Vs. Personally, I think Jimmy with the doubleneck probably stands out as the most iconic imagery if you're talking rock guitar. But these things resonate differently with folks. I'm sure most people on the street have seen Jimmy's doubleneck than say Johnson's acoustic. We're talking about famous guitars right? If I stood in front of a high school audtorium and put Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen on the overheard projector beside Robert Johnson, who do you think the majority of kids would recognize? Again, the question states "famous". Johnson's guitar might hold special meaning to blues musicians and blues afficianados, but it's a far wider world. I'm sure more people would spot Roger McGuinn's Rickenbacker. Or Geddy Lee's for that matter. Or Lennon's. It's a shame this has unravelled into what it's become. I'm just trying to offer a bit of my own perspective. Hope I haven't offended anyone.

I actually agree totally with you. I just took issue that no one "gives a shit" about Robert Johnson's guitar. But as far as famous guitars, you're dead on. I would put SRV's Number One in there as well, but that's just me being annoying.

[Evster2012]

I would put SRV's Number One in there as well, but that's just me being annoying.

Oh I would too! And Dime's Washburn. And Zakk's Bullseye. And Randy's polka dot V. These are ledendary guitars among guitar players. The stuff that makes the centerfolds of guitar magazines year after year. SRV's Strat certainly has! I guess it just brings us back to question of "Most famous to whom?", y'know? Most famous among people who are into guitars or most famous to the general public? I mean, if we're just talking prduction guitars, I doubt you could find a more familiar design around the world than the most copied guitar in history, the Fender Stratocaster. But if you then ask who's particular Stratocaster, you get into "Well, if it weren't for Hendrix, there'd be no Stevie" etc. Hell, half the people who saw Hendrix at Woodstock don't remember seeing Hendrix at Woodstock! Know what I'm sayin? Then, to take the Hendriz thing to another level, let's say it was his Monterey guitar. The one he lit on fire. He only played it once. At Monterey. Then he destroyed it. Significant to music? Not really, as only an hour or less was ever made on it. Significant historically? Hell yes! That performance cemented him in the eyes of History. So which is it? Significance to music overall? Significance to pop history? Or which guitar would be recognizable to the most people? Or any other way of pointing the question. Perhaps a "World's most famous guitars" thread would offer a better forum for people to talk about why certain guitars matter to them, as opposed to which is the single most known guitar in the world. Cause unless you poll the whole world, including the dead people who might remember differently, lol, it can't be established in any real concrete sense.

[Reggie29]

Is there a definitive " Greatest Single Famous Guitar Of All Time"?

Yes it's a rhetorical question, "with no strings attached" (pun intended) .

When I was a kid I was given some cheap Asian or whatever import and I thought it was

the greatest instrument on Earth.

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[zero]

here's another iconic guitar. not of rock, but of the person who plays it.

[Deezer]

Oh I would too! And Dime's Washburn. And Zakk's Bullseye. And Randy's polka dot V. These are ledendary guitars among guitar players. The stuff that makes the centerfolds of guitar magazines year after year. SRV's Strat certainly has! I guess it just brings us back to question of "Most famous to whom?", y'know? Most famous among people who are into guitars or most famous to the general public? I mean, if we're just talking prduction guitars, I doubt you could find a more familiar design around the world than the most copied guitar in history, the Fender Stratocaster. But if you then ask who's particular Stratocaster, you get into "Well, if it weren't for Hendrix, there'd be no Stevie" etc. Hell, half the people who saw Hendrix at Woodstock don't remember seeing Hendrix at Woodstock! Know what I'm sayin? Then, to take the Hendriz thing to another level, let's say it was his Monterey guitar. The one he lit on fire. He only played it once. At Monterey. Then he destroyed it. Significant to music? Not really, as only an hour or less was ever made on it. Significant historically? Hell yes! That performance cemented him in the eyes of History. So which is it? Significance to music overall? Significance to pop history? Or which guitar would be recognizable to the most people? Or any other way of pointing the question. Perhaps a "World's most famous guitars" thread would offer a better forum for people to talk about why certain guitars matter to them, as opposed to which is the single most known guitar in the world. Cause unless you poll the whole world, including the dead people who might remember differently, lol, it can't be established in any real concrete sense.

I agree. Like for instance, my favorite guitar is famous. To me.

[Deezer]

Right, thanks Ev. I can't imagine why he'd have done with that the pickup selector

So we agree, that RJs guitar isn't famous, because the majority of people don't even know what he looks like, let alone his guitar! Thank you for restoring some rationale to this thread Evster.

Not exactly, in my opinion. Again, there are a lot of Robert Johnson fans out there. That know what he looks like, from the two photographs anyway. There are a lot of music people that know how important he is to American music. And ask yourself this question: If his guitar was to be found, and there is overwhelming evidence that says it was his, and Honeyboy Edwards and anybody that's still alive that ran around with him said, "Yep, that's his," and they offered it up for auction, how much would it sell for? I think you'd find the answer is a lot of money. maybe more than Clapton's Blackie sold for a few years back. Now, is it famous in that Joe Blow music fan knows about it, no. But it's significance in the music history more than makes up for the fact. In the end, though, I think it's all perspective. I think to say that his guitar is not important means that he is not important, and I don't agree with that at all. But oh well. I think I've said all I'm going to say on Robert's guitar.

[Otto Masson]

That's your opinion, but in my opinion, Stevie was as hard core blues as it could get. When you have folks like Albert King proclaiming him his godson, and B.B. King just gushing all over him, and Albert Collins, and Eric Clapton, and John Lee Hooker ("He's one of the greatest blues musicians that ever picked up a guitar."). A lot of these guys anointed him the great one, and I have to agree wit them. They ARE blues, they know blues, and if they say he's a terrific blues player, I'll just have to side with them. I love Rory, great blues player. But he will never be near Stevie in my humble opinion. Don't mistake smoothness for not being blues. If that were the case, the great T-Bone Walker would not be considered a blues player, and he's the smoothest guy I've ever heard in my life.

Again, my humble opinion.

On re-reading my earlier post I think it's rather badly written. It wasn't my intention to slag SRV or to imply that he was a phony in some way, but it reads a bit like that - sorry about that. I only meant to remind everyone of Rory, and the context just seemed obvious. As for the sheer playing ability, technicality and all that, SRV was obviously a great player - no doubt on that score. I meant the emphasis to be on blues player, and then, that's only my opinion. But it is my opinion.

[Deezer]

No problem with me.

[Ma'at]

I'd have to go with Pat Metheny's Pikasso I:

[Deezer]

According to my dictionary: "Famous= Known to many".

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but RJ's guitar is not 'known to many'. I'm not saying that he isn't important just because his guitar isn't famous.

Again, it's all interpretation. Typically, there isn't a famous guitar without a famous guitar player.

[hutz13]

I concur! Followed by Eddie's. I think that if you asked someone off the street, they would probably recognise these, especially Angus', his SG has become an icon of rock. To someone who doesn't know better, the Les Pauls would just all look the same!

Jimmy's double-neck on the other hand is quite unique. As is Brian May's Red Special.

The next one isn't really iconic, just damn hilarious! Ladies and gentlemen...Rick Nielsen!

Gotta love that Rick Nielson model ... gotta weigh a ton!

[zep41]

ummm Clapton's Beano Burst anyone? Along with Page's #1 these have to be the 2 most famous Les Paul Sunburst guit-fiddles. Without these the burst LP might not have been as famous as it is.

Also, Keith Richards' '60 LP burst with the Bigsby. Many legendary players have used that one in the studio, including one Mr. Page.

I'm also gonna add Allen Collins' Gibson Explorer which is currently encased at the RnR HOF.

[Deezer]

When I think of Keith Richards, I think of a Telecaster. But that's just me.

Yeah, Clapton's Les Paul is the reason a lot of people started playing that guitar. I know Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top said the reason why he started playing Les Paul was he saw the back of that album and saw the Paul and a Marshall stack. After that he decided to get those.

[Appolo Jupiter]

Oh yeah, and of course, Angus Young of AC/DC with his Gibson SG.

thats the guitar of my dream, Also one of the greatest guitars on earth is Brian May's Red & Black

It looks beautifu

[Zoso91]

Steve Vai's various signature guitars, they either have a handle,crazy paintjob, or 7 strings

Randy Rhoads Jackson Flying V's

Jaco Pastorius' Fender Jazz Bass

And my own strat, its not famous but i love it to death.

[gpcl16]

Whilst there are numerous contenders for the title "Most Famous Guitar Of All Time", one of the oddities must be Eric Clapton's 1964 Cherry Red Gibson ES335. Although used for over 30 years of his career, it became known as the 'Cream" guitar: solely due to its appearance in the farewell concert footage from 1968.

This guitar sold at auction in 2004 for $847,500 to raise funds for the Crossroads Centre. However, there is virtually no evidence that this guitar was used during Cream's existence, only being wheeled-out for the last Royal Albert Hall gigs! In other words, this guitar took on iconic status from only one gig.

RB

Yeah, Clapton used a Cherry Red Gibson SG Standard on almost every live and studio song when he was with Cream. I'm not sure if it was the same guitar or he had several of them, however. He was introduced to the Stratocaster very close to the end of his days with Cream. If it was indeed, just one SG that he had when he was with Cream, rather than multiple ones, that's the guitar I would want.

[Humbucker]

Clapton initially used a 1959 Les Paul Standard at the start of Cream, but moved to a 1964 SG after this guitar was stolen. It was subsequently painted by Dutch design collective The Fool. It was this guitar that features on Wheels Of Fire (live set), which is often mistaken for the classic Les Paul and Marshall sound. Around mid 1968, Clapton preferred a Firebird I and the aforementioned ES335. It is the Firebird that features on the live tracks from the Goodbye album.

The SG is currently owned by Todd Rundgren.

RB

[GoneFishing]

Willie Nelson Soulful Guitar

[Spacewoman]

Ace Frehley´s smoking guitar

Ace´s Washburn

Jimmy´s Telecaster in psychedelic colours

Jimmy with his Fender

[badgeholder]

Jimi Hendrix's black strat. His number one guitar from 68 -70. "Machine Gun" was played on this guitar. It would easily go for over a million at auction. This is the one, the Holy Grail. To ME, anyway

Also - didn't see anyone mention Bo Diddleys cigar-box thing, that's another classic.