Crusoe Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 I was just thinking about how some guitarists and bassist get known for using one particular guitar and how odd it is to see them with a different model. This came about after I saw a meme over on Basschat which showed Freddy Mercury with a white Tele and Brian May with a black Tele. It occurred to me that I don't remember ever seeing Brian with a guitar other than his Red Special. Are there any other guitarists you associate with a particular guitar (not just a model, but a specific guitar)? I was doing a bit of googling and discovered that Brian has occasionally used replicas of the RS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 3, 2023 Share Posted June 3, 2023 Nah, it's all in the fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 A quick perusal of Fender, Gibson, Ibanez and PRS's product pages will reveal all. Music gear manufacturers depend on endorsements to the point where companies like Fender have purchased entire companies simply to secure a list of endorsers. Almost everyone who is anyone seems to have a signature guitar. And where they don't, they'll find one and hype it up (i.e. Nile Rodgers and his 'Hitmaker' when he actually used Tokai during most of the 80's). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted June 5, 2023 Author Share Posted June 5, 2023 I'm not really talking about endorsements or signature models. I'm thinking more along the lines of how I always associate the likes of Keith Richards or Bruce Springsteen with butterscotch Telecasters, even though I know I've seen them pay other guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Alvin Lee (Gibson 335...)..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Jeff Beck (Fender Stratocaster...)..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Willie Nelson (Martin N-20...)..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Bo Diddley (Cigar Box...)..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Bert Weedon (Hofner Committee...)..? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 5, 2023 Share Posted June 5, 2023 Brad Paisley - Telecaster Eric Johnson - Strat Slash - Les Paul Les Paul… Zakk Wylde - LP Angus - SG Tony Iommi - SG Derek Trucks - SG Dave Edmunds - ES335 Steve Howe - ES175 Jimmy Page - LP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted June 6, 2023 Author Share Posted June 6, 2023 (edited) I can't believe I forgot about Slash. I always associate him with a sunburst LP and Zakk Wylde with a bulls eye LP. Funnily, I looked up ZW on Wikipedia, where there are three pictures of him playing guitar, none of which are a bulls eye Les Paul Edited June 6, 2023 by Crusoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 29 minutes ago, Crusoe said: I looked up ZW on Wikipedia, where there are three pictures of him playing guitar, none of which are a bulls eye Les Paul He's gone all pointy 'rawk' guitar these days IIRC. His bullseye and bottle top LPs will always be the ones I think of when Zack is mentioned. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 Quite an interesting question... probably mirrors questions about styles of music you like and what guitars you probably chose to own. I bought guitars that I saw in the hands of my favourite players until I found out what I liked and what I didn't. Very few of my favourite players used Gibson guitars so my journey pretty much started with a red strat, then a black strat, then a sunburst, back to a red one...kept repeating for 25 years with the odd left turn into Gretsch. But I know what you mean. I always associate certain players with certain guitar, despite them playing other plenty of other models too, but not signature guitars: Hank Marvin - red Strat Chuck Berry - red Gibson ES355 Eddie Cochran - orange gretsch Brian Setzer - orange gretsch Carl Perkins - LP gold top with bigsby Billy Gibbons - that furry esquire type thing...! Dave Gilmour - black and white strat Buddy Holly - sunburst strat Clapton - black and white strat Knopfler - red strat SRV - sunburst strat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted June 6, 2023 Author Share Posted June 6, 2023 2 hours ago, randythoades said: Quite an interesting question... probably mirrors questions about styles of music you like and what guitars you probably chose to own. I bought guitars that I saw in the hands of my favourite players until I found out what I liked and what I didn't. Very few of my favourite players used Gibson guitars so my journey pretty much started with a red strat, then a black strat, then a sunburst, back to a red one...kept repeating for 25 years with the odd left turn into Gretsch. But I know what you mean. I always associate certain players with certain guitar, despite them playing other plenty of other models too, but not signature guitars: Hank Marvin - red Strat Chuck Berry - red Gibson ES355 Eddie Cochran - orange gretsch Brian Setzer - orange gretsch Carl Perkins - LP gold top with bigsby Billy Gibbons - that furry esquire type thing...! Dave Gilmour - black and white strat Buddy Holly - sunburst strat Clapton - black and white strat Knopfler - red strat SRV - sunburst strat I'd say quite a few people started playing on guitars they didn't actually like to play, because their favourite guitarist played on one. Another one I've just thought of is Billy Duffy, from The Cult and his white Gretsch. Wiki does show him playing that, but the first picture on the page shows him with a black Gretsch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 (edited) Steve Jones and his legendary ivory white LP Custom: http://img.wennermedia.com/920-width/rs-136459-e03d576a3be5ca7cf841357d5e452e4ee019ab33.jpg (widely considered the "Bollocks" guitar, though the LP he actually played on the album was a black Custom - a 58, I think - with p90s!) Joe Strummer and his '66 Tele Dick Dale and The BeasT: Edited June 14, 2023 by EdwardMarlowe 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardMarlowe Posted June 14, 2023 Share Posted June 14, 2023 Was ever one man so indelibly associated with a specific guitar? Probably in that regard, Brian May and the Quo boys are the only ones that come close? Hendrix is a good example. He was associated with a few guitars, but I'll always picture him with an inverted Start. This image in particular in in my mind, as this photo was in a poster on my bedroom wall for years: Although my Strat is a 94 American Standard, actually left handed, and lack the big headstick of the CBS era, this is the reason it's a three-tone burst and a rosewood board. Of course, eventually I do want to have an actual Hendrix replica Strat. Either a Partscaster (most likely), or a black CIJ 68RI if ever a deal came up, or even a Squier Classic Vibe if they saw sense and did a 68 model.... Just like Black Beauty, Jimi's reputed favourite, and one of two (rumour has it three - that there was another white 68 other than the Woodstock guitar) he had towards the end of his life. I did once get to play this.... That is the actual Black Angel, Jimi's custom lefty Flying Vee. Now, ti might just have been my imagination, but never have I lifted a guitar with as much mojo as was seeping out of that one, and I normally don't even like Vees.... A spiritual experience. I wish I'd had the change o plug it in, but even playing it unplugged was such a rush. Particularly special as a left handed player, given most of my guitar heroes' instruments would be upside down for me. (Including, ironically, Dick Dale's). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
