JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Guitars and Guitarist Forum Famous Guitars/ Pictures And Stories

As an inanimate object a guitar can be famous. I got the idea for this thread after seeing Willie Nelson on TV. His Martin N-20 has to be the most famous and recognizable guitar in the world.



One of my favorites is the Martin D-28 played by the late Clarence White who was a bluegrass and session musician. He helped define "flat picking". The guitar has an extra wide sound hole. It now belongs to Tony Rice, one of the greatest acoustic guitar pickers of all time. The picture is of Tony.




Another guitar owned by Clarence White was this Telecaster now owned by Marty Stewart. Clarence used this guitar as a member of The Byrds.



What ever happened to the '63 Strat that Jimi Hendrix burned on the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival? Sorry I couldn't find an accurate photo of it. I heard that Frank Zappa bought it in 1968 and actually played it without restoring it. Most of the damage was cosmetic. I heard that it now belongs to his son Dwezil.

Anyone have interesting photos and stories of famous guitars?

Clapton's psychedelic SG that he used as a member of Cream:

Is now owned by Todd Rundgren. A worthy owner, IMO.

I remember that guitar Todd. Good to know where it is now.

I wish I had an accommodating picture for the story. I moved to Kerrville Tx over a year and a half ago and was offered a place to stay by a co worker (she was 60, I was 48)...she was an old hippie who lived in a commune in the 70's and "studied" under a "guru" somewhere in Oklahoma for 9 years at one point. Her home was, as you would expect, full of candles, oils, lights, eerie chant-like music....well you get the picture. Her husband (of 2 years) recently died (I think it was her 5th) and apparently was quite the guitarist. Long story short, she had his old guitar which she let me fiddle with. It was the most awesome sounding, beautiful 1966 Guild acoustic I had ever played. More amazing was the story that it was "traded by Bob Dilan in the late 60's for a bag of Heroin."
Not believing for a minute that Mr Dilan owned this guitar but still loving the sound and look, I offered to buy it. My groovy roomie told me she would think about it but already had in mind the price. She would amble down the stairs around midnight that night and into my room, jump into my bed an offer herself up to me. Her first words as she saw my jaw fall onto my Mahavishnu comforter were, "You can have the Guild for 200 bucks." Having already valued it at around 2000 dollars (without the hokey story), I was immediately excited, but at the same time, perplexed, for I was now acutely aware that I would have to submit to her sexual needs to finish the deal.
Needless to say, I did not. She, on the other hand, apparently got her stars misaligned and decided to boot me out not long after.
Having posted (half tongue-in-cheek) the guitar and Dilan story a week earlier, I never expected to get a response, other than an "lol" or "yeah, RIGHT!".......However,....
About 3 weeks after I got the boot, an older chap emailed me one day, described the guitar to a tee and CONFIRMED THE STORY. He even said that Bob had spent a few years after his "heroin days" (1966-1969) looking for it, then gave up.
He offered me 5000.00 dollars and all he wanted was a picture, phone number and address. Well, needless to say, the voodoo queen shot down my 3000 dollar offer and she ended up selling it for $5800.00 to an "unknown friend of Bob's."
She later emailed a pic of herself, this mystery man, the Guild, all the while holding 5800 in cash with the caption, "Wish U were here."

Moral of this Guitar story- A Guild in the hand........


bluesriff

Fun story Bluesriff.

I was wrong. Zappa didn't buy Hendrix's Montery Pop guitar, it was the guitar that he burned at the Miami Pop Festival. He said that a roadie gave it to him in pieces so he had it put back together but left the burn marks.

A friend of mine bought a Les Paul Gibson from a guy back in the 50's for 50 dollars. It was probably one of the originals. He sold it for about $2600.00 maybe 20 years ago. It is amazing of how much some Martin's go for these days. I've had my D-18 going on 52 years.

Hey Ray, I bought a brand new Martin HD-28 in 1981. It cost $1,200. Luckily I was a friend with the music store owner and he let me pay on time. It took me a year to pay it off. The same model is going for over $4,000 now new.

I had to sell mine ten years later and took a big cut in the actual value. I still have the registration certificate...bummer.

There's a "George Harrison" guitars app for ipad?...now....there's some famous rigs for you.

Well, Not that it is famous but,
When I was Stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas I got to know some of the local Talent, Bands there. It seems George Jones, now deceased, busted his guitar over the head of his then front man, Georgie Riddle. It seems George thought Georgie was fooling around George's wife. It was relayed to me by a local preformer.

See, when you come here you get all kinds of informatiion! The story may be in George's Book, I lived To Tell it All.

Well, I'm not famous yet!

Mike, I still do not know why you passed up the deal for sex and a Guild for $200. She must have been ugly.

Paper bags and old flags.