Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstrat”
Image Credit: Taringa!
What happens when you combine a Fender Stratocaster body, Gibson pickups, some paint and masking tape? Well it seems for Van Halen’s guitarist Eddie Van Halen, the answer is the iconic “Frankenstrat.” Eddie thought he’d try his hand at creating the Gibson sound with a $50 Fender and by golly we’re glad he did.B.B. King’s “Lucille”
After a fire broke out in an Arkansas dance hall, a 24-year-old B.B. King ran back inside to save his $30 Gibson. He found out later the cause of the fire was a dispute between two men fighting over a girl named Lucille. As a reminder to never fight over a girl (or run into a burning building) he’s named every Gibson he’s owned (usually similar to the ES-355 model above) “Lucille.” Watch King and “Lucille” here.Brian May’s “Red Special”
Photo Credit: DCM
Queen’s searing, harmonic guitar tones, created by guitarist Brian May, can be attributed to the one and only “Red Special” (also known as “The Old Lady”). The guitar was designed and handcrafted by May and his father between 1962 and 1964, largely from pieces of an old fireplace mantel, to produce a distinct sound that May could hear in his head, but couldn’t find in any other guitar. Thus “The Red Special” was born.Jimmy Page’s EDS-1275 Double-Neck Gibson
Famous for its 12-string neck on top and a 6-string neck on the bottom, Page’s double-neck Gibson is famous for not only its obviously unique look, but for being the force behind the multifaceted Led Zeppelin epic “Stairway to Heaven.” Two heads are better than one.Slash’s Gibson Les Paul(s)
Slash of Guns N’ Roses has never hidden his adoration for Gibson guitars . . . He’s even collaborated with them on 12 signature Les Paul models. But his “main” guitar will always remain the 1959 Gibson Les Paul, which he used to record the majority of his sessions with Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and his own solo albums. And speaking of Slash . . . it just so happens to be his birthday today! Celebrate with a free download of “Sweet Child O Mine” from our Lullaby Renditions of Guns N’ Roses. P.S. We know there are more than a handful of iconic guitars we missed on this list. That just means we’ll have to do a Part 2. ;)
Did you intend to post “welcome to the jungle?” because the file is “sweet child o’mine.” Both great songs, just curious.