GALLERY: Hard Rock Collection''s Iconic Axes, Part 1

"This stunning and sparkly 1956 Gretsch belonged to rockabilly/punk virtuoso Billy Zoom of X. Already a seasoned veteran when he joined the group, Billy brought a level of musicianship to X that other punk bands lacked. His wide-stanced, smiling stage presence and ability to play intricate, lightning-fast licks without ever looking at his guitar (Billy literally never even glances at his instrument during a show) has made him an underground icon and cult guitar hero. Billy has rocked vintage Silver Jets throughout Xуs three-decade career and is forever identified with these killer axes. Though often mistakenly labeled a solidbody, these old Jets are almost completely hollow. "

"British multi-instrumentalist and all-around musical genius Mike Oldfield is a legend in Europe, but U.S. audiences mostly know him for the theme song from рThe Exorcistс from his landmark 1973 album, рTubular Bells.с This album was the very first release by Virgin Records, and its gigantic success put the label, and Richard Branson, on the road to riches. Mike had this unbelievably beautiful acoustic hand-made by Anthony Zemaitis in 1974. It can be heard on his third album, рOmmadawn.с This guitar, with its Brazilian rosewood body and custom inlay work, is quite possibly the nicest acoustic guitar in our collection. Itуs hand-signed and dated on the soundhole label by Zemaitis himself."

"Maryland-based builder Micro Frets crafted this Spacetone model for rockabilly legend Carl Perkins in the early у70s. These axes are a bit under the radar with collectors, but theyуre extremely well-constructed and fine-sounding instruments. Note the unusual compensated nut and рCalibratoс vibrato. These innovative units were very much ahead of their time. "

"This see-through Lucite P-Bass belonged to The Whoуs bassist John Entwistle. John had one of the most amazing instrument collections on the planet, and this unique piece was among the more interesting basses he owned. Itуs insanely heavy."

Paul Kossoffуs 1957 Gibson Les Paul TV Jr

"This humble axe is one of the absolute greatest rock уnу roll guitars in the Hard Rock collection. Itуs a 1957 Gibson Les Paul TV Jr that belonged to Paul Kossoff of Free. In fact, this was Paulуs first Gibson. Thereуs some kind of voodoo going on with this guitarяlike the stars were perfectly aligned on the day it was built. Itуs quite possibly the best-sounding guitar we have. This simple mahogany plank with its single P-90 pickup sounds absolutely glorious no matter what you plug it into. "

"Though never a household name, for five decades Albert Lee has established himself as one of the most talented and influential guitarists of all time. An absolutely phenomenal country picker, Albert came out of the fertile English guitar scene in the у60s and managed to put an indelible stamp on the most American of art formsяcountry music. Albert has worked with the Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, and a host of others, but it was his mid-у70s tenure with Emmylou Harrisу band that really put him on the map. This incredible у58 Gibson Super 400 was Albertуs in the late у60s when he was a member of Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds. Itуs one of the most beautiful examples of this stunning model weуve ever seen. "

"In the late у60s, Indian music began to permeate all aspects of rock, so the sitar became an essential part of any groupуs arsenal. Unfortunately, an actual sitar is incredibly difficult to master and takes years of dedicated study. Enter the electric sitar. Designed by session ace Vincent Bell and manufactured by Danelectro, itуs essentially an electric guitar with a special рbuzz bridgeс and a set of drone strings that made a trippy sitar-esque sound. Clapton owned this one in the late-у60s heyday of raga-rock. Groovy, man."

Krist Novoselicуs 1976 Ibanez Black Eagle Bass

"This unique Ibanez Black Eagle bass was one of three that Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic used onstage and in the studio in the early у90s. He broke it onstage and had his tech replace the neckяeven going so far as to replicate the cutout section of the headstock. These basses are really well made and sound fantastic. Theyуve got a big, authoritative thump and they look cool as hell."

"This extremely sexy and unusual guitar was owned by Willie Nelson. Itуs a Mada Caimes model thatуs made from compressed hemp fiber. Yes, this guitar is essentially made of pot. Itуs a cool-sounding axe with a pair of very versatile custom humbuckers. Willie played it onstage at the Hard Rock in New York City back in 2007."

"This lovely bit of faded pink awesomeness was the first Hamer bass that Pretenders bassist Pete Farndon owned. Dig the way the low E-string passes through the body, while the other three strings are mounted to the bridge. This was to compensate for the instrumentуs short scale. It also features cool active electronics and an L.E.D. status indicator. "

Dave Daviesу 1977 Gibson Les Paul Artisan

"Hereуs a great example of the best of Gibsonуs much-maligned Norlin era. This 1977 Les Paul Artisan was owned by Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, and he used it onstage often during the late у70s/early у80s. Essentially a dressed-up Les Paul Custom, the Artisan featured fancy inlays and a full complement of three humbuckers: two Series VII units at the bridge and neck, and a Gibson Super Humbucker in the middle position. Itуs a very cool guitar, but like a lot of Norlin-era Gibsons, itуs quite heavy. "

This incredible harp guitar was created by Hamerуs legendary Jol Dantzig for Police guitarist Andy Summers in 1987. Its design is somewhat reminiscent of the Selmer and Maccaferri instruments favored by Django Reinhardtяone of Andyуs biggest influences.

"The geniuses at Hamer have created some truly amazing axes for Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen (including his famous five-neck monstrosity), but this may be the most unusual piece theyуve ever built. Itуs a fully functional guitar with a single humbucker and a Kahler trem, but itуs also a guitar synth. Rick used the onboard hex pickup to trigger synth sounds and the sax mouthpiece is a primitive breath controller. Hamer built it in 1985. "

"Hereуs a truly rare bird: an original 1964 Gibson EB-6 baritone. Gibson only made 68 of these oddball beauties and this one is a great example. Essentially an overgrown SG, the EB-6 is tuned standard, but one octave lower. With its twin humbuckers, this instrument has a huge, throaty growl that could easily work in a modern metal context. Itуs a bit of beast to wrestle, though, and the six bass tuners make it particularly neck-heavy. This one belonged to Yes guitarist Steve Howe."

"Fans of Canadian power trio Triumph will recognize this axe immediately: It was Rik Emmettуs main guitar during the bandуs early-у80s heyday. Though battered and bruised from countless concert stages worldwide, this guitar still has an undeniable classic beauty. It was handbuilt for Rik by Dean Zelinsky."

"British luthier John Diggins of John Birch Guitars crafted this stunning solidbody in 1975 for Roy Orbison. It features ornate eagle-themed fretboard inlays, silver scrollwork on the cutaways, custom John Birch рSuperfluxс pickups, and the elaborate wiring that was a John Birch trademark. When this guitar was completed, it was presented to Roy onstage in England. "

"This is a Veleno Original built for Marc Bolan in the early у70s and is one of the very first John Veleno guitars ever made. Constructed entirely from aircraft aluminum, Veleno guitars play amazingly well and have an utterly uniqueяand very musicalяtone. Most examples have humbucking pickups, but Bolanуs has DeArmond Dynasonic single-coils, like a Gretsch. Weуve never seen another Veleno with this pickup configuration. John Veleno made less than 200 of these in his career, and the vast majority of them wound up in the hands of legendary players. Check out where John engraved Bolanуs name into the face of the guitarяand misspelled his first name. Weуve got some incredible vintage guitars in our collection, but this one stands out as truly special."

The Carsу brilliant guitarist Elliot Easton had this absolutely stunning lefty ES-350T made for him by the Gibson Custom Shop in 1991. Check out the awesome grain on this guitarуs top. Gorgeous.

"Big, bad Ike Turner owned this groovy hollowbody Fender Coronado II guitar during the late у60s. These old Coronados are interesting guitars, but they never really caught on with the music community. Maybe the guitar world just wasnуt ready for a bolt-neck semi-hollow. Theyуre the brainchild of former Rickenbacker designer Roger Rossmeisl. "

"Itуs well known that Hard Rock International has an insane collection of historic instruments, clothing, artwork, lyrics, and other cool stuff on display at their many caf▌s, hotels, and casinos worldwide. But some of their best treasures are the vintage and unique guitars theyуve collected during 41 years of operation. Hard Rock historian (and unapologetic guitar geek) Jeff Nolan has created this special gallery for PG readers to share some unique and badass guitar porn from their collection. Enjoy. "