GALLERY: Hard Rock Collection’s Iconic Axes, Part 2
John Frusciante's Fender Jaguar
Though they were already the critical darlings of college radio, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1992 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik catapulted the SoCal foursome to true superstardom. The disc was chock-full of classic Peppers' jams, but it was the ballad "Under the Bridge" that really set the stage for their eventual world domination. Guitarist John Frusciante channeled his inner Hendrix (specifically "Little Wing") for the tune's intro and chord pattern to craft an enduring classic. This '66 Fender Jaguar is the guitar he used in the video. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Caracas, Venezuela.
Jimi Hendrix's Gibson Flying V
are about a dozen Jimi Hendrix guitars in the Hard Rock collection and all of them are treasures, but this one is truly special. This is a custom Gibson Flying V that was commissioned by Jimi in 1969. A completely unique instrument, this one-of-a-kind, left-handed model was Hendrix' weapon of choice for the Maui concert that was immortalized in the film Rainbow Bridge and at the legendary Isle of Wight festival in August of 1970. Most of the cosmetic appointments are completely custom per Jimi's specifications. The version of "Red House" Jimi played at the Isle of Wight is widely regarded as one of the best examples of electric blues playing ever committed to tape and he did it on this very instrument. Less than a month later, Jimi was gone. Though not currently on display, we'll have this amazing axe out and about very soon.
Chris Squire's Triple-Neck Wal Bass
60s gave way to 70s and rock music sought to fulfill its full artistic promise, progressive rock was born. The undisputed kings of this scene were the English group Yes. As one of the few prog bands that actually made hit singles, Yes brought a level of musicianship to the mainstream that's rarely been equaled. Bassist/songwriter Chris Squire was the band's driving force and one of the most influential players ever. For someone of his ability, a regular instrument just wouldn't do, so he picked up this insane triple-neck Wal from Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman's pal Roger Newell. Though most players wouldn't even know how to tune the thing, Squire regularly wrestled the beast into artful submission. The middle neck is a standard fretted 4-string, the lower neck is fretless, and the top neck was originally intended to be like a Telecaster, but Chris strung it with three octave pairs. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bucharest, Romania.
Dave Mustaine's Jackson 12-string V
Dave Mustaine was ignominiously dismissed from the lead guitar slot in Metallica, he could have easily slid into obscurity as the heavy metal version of Pete Best. Instead, he quickly formed Megadeth and made metal history. Like most old-school metal heads, Mustaine had a soft spot for Jackson guitars. This one is truly bizarre; it's a 12-string Jackson V. As Dave himself put it, "This guitar is the only one of its kind in existence". In addition to personal use, I used this guitar in the recording of the song "Wanderlust" off the album Risk . It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Denver, Colorado.
Steve Vai's Triple-Neck Ibanez
if we needed further proof that Steve Vai is an alien! How can a human play two opposing guitar necks simultaneously? It just ain't fair to us mortals (attention guitar nerds: we know that Michael Angelo Batio did this before Vai, but he's an alien, too). Ibanez custom-built this triple-neck monstrosity for Steve back when he was in David Lee Roth's group. He autographed it at the Hard Rock in Orlando when he was appearing with Zappa Plays Zappa in '07. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Las Vegas Strip.
Ted Nugent's Gibson Byrdland
Motor City Madman has become such a poster-boy for extremist causes that some folks don't even realize he's been known to pick a little guitar from time to time. Come to think of it, Ted may be the meanest, loudest guitarist on the planet. One of the extra-cool things about Nugent is that he played one of the rarest guitars in heavy rock: the Gibson Byrdland. More of a jazz box than a rock axe, the Byrdland is a howling feedback machine that's exceedingly difficult to control at high volume. But the rewards are great for the stouthearted rocker who accepts the challenge. This is the Byrdland Ted is pictured with on the cover of Free for All and is currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit, Michigan.
Jimi Hendrix's '67 Gibson SG
Hendrix-owned guitar we have is special, but this one is spectacular. It's a '67 SG that Jimi used a number of times in concert and appeared with on "The Dick Cavett Show" in September 1969. Hendrix played subdued, yet brilliant, versions of "Izabella" and "Machine Gun" on the program, which aired just a few weeks after the Woodstock festival. This is one of those rare pieces of memorabilia that still seems to resonate with the soul of the artist. It's currently on display as part of the "Treasures of the Hard Rock" traveling exhibit. Check out hardrock.com for tour dates.
John Entwistle's Alembic Exploiter
was the Ox's main axe from the day he received it in 1976 until it failed him onstage at Live Aid in 1985. With its gold spider web inlays, LED position markers, and gorgeous styling, this bass has become legendary among gear freaks. Alembic and John nicknamed it the "Exploiter" due to its obvious similarity to a Gibson Explorer. John had a couple more of these basses in his collection: one with a split V headstock (also in the Hard Rock collection) and a monstrous 8-string version. This one is currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin, Germany.
Scotty Moore's Gibson Super 400
is one of the most famous guitars in the Hard Rock collection: Scotty Moore's Gibson Super 400. Its place in history was assured when Scotty loaned it to Elvis during the King's '68 "Comeback Special". Part of that landmark broadcast was an impromptu, campfire-style jam in which Elvis, Scotty, and drummer D.J. Fontana reunited to revisit some of the '50s classics that defined rock 'n' roll. Elvis played this instrument during that jam. The '68 comeback special was really the last glimpse of the old King. Soon he would sink into the glitzy Vegas style that consumed his persona in the '70s. In 2011, we took this axe backstage and showed it to Jeff Beck. Jeff ogled it for a while and then proceeded to rip some inhuman licks on this big ol' jazz box. That was a fun day. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Memphis, Tennessee.
Erik Brann's Mosrite
simply no argument: Iron Butterfly's 1968 opus, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is the all-time greatest proto-metal anthem in rock history. Clocking in at more than 17 minutes and featuring one of the heaviest sludge riffs ever recorded, "In-A-Gadda" has become much more than just an atavistic bit of stony indulgence; it's a cultural moment. Heavy metal was invented within this song. Along with the Kink's "You Really Got Me", Blue Cheer's cover of "Summertime Blues", and, of course, Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild", "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" set the template for a genre of rock that took over the planet and still rules today. Guitarist Erik Brann lit the world on fire with this humble Mosrite that's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bogota, Colombia.
Steve Howe's Gibson BR-9 Lap Steel
Howe used this Gibson BR-9 lap steel in the '70s. Gibson sold a pile of these things in the '40s and '50s, but they've never really been highly regarded by the steel guitar community. Still, this one, with non-original control knobs, is pretty badass. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Hard Rock Collection
A few months back, Hard Rock shared some of the more interesting "under the radar" guitars from our legendary memorabilia collection with PG readers. This month, we're showing off some of the truly iconic axes we're fortunate enough to be stewards of. Throughout 2013, we're sending some amazing stuff around the world on our "Treasures of the Hard Rock" traveling exhibit; including a few incredible instruments. Check out hardrock.com for tour dates.
Marshall Lytle's '40s Epiphone B-5
there's one thing we have in abundance around here, it's reverence for the tools of rock 'n' roll. Guitars, drums, basses; we think all that stuff is great. Every once in a while, though, we come across an instrument that's so historic, so iconic, and so badass, that it truly blows us away. This is one of those pieces. It's a late '40s Epiphone B-5 upright bass that belonged to Marshall Lytle. Marshall was the bass player for Bill Haley and His Comets during their 1950s heyday, and he used this bass to record such classics as "Rock Around the Clock", "Shake", "Rattle and Roll", and "Rock the Joint". Think about that for a second. Those three songs were the beginning of a cultural earthquake whose aftershocks are still rumbling in the 21st century. The lexicon of early rock bass playing was written by Marshall on this very instrument. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Orlando, Florida.
Ace Frehley's Custom Gibson Les Paul
embodies everything we love about rock 'n' roll: the volume, the spectacle, the crass materialism, it's like they came to Earth brandishing Love Guns from the planet Rock. They rule. You know it, we know it. This custom Les Paul was used by Ace Frehley on KISS' 1996-1997 reunion tour where he played some smokin' guitar, literally. This thing is rigged to release a cloud of smoke during his solo. That is the definition of awesome. This guitar has seen millions of screaming fans on three different continents, but now it's safely retired to our collection. We once had this guitar in a South American cafe and when it was shipped back to the States, customs officials quarantined it because of residue from AceÃ??s "smoking guitar" routine, they thought it was a bomb. It's currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Yankee Stadium.
Pete Townshend's Les Paul Custom
Townshend has been represented in Hard Rock's memorabilia collection since the very beginning. Annoyed that Hard Rock co-founder Tigrett had hung one of Clapton's axes on the wall at the London cafe, a drunk Townshend had this guitar sent over with a note that read, "Mine's as good as his! Love, Pete." Actually, it's better. When Clapton gave us our first guitar, he handed over a relatively low-end Fender Lead II model. The instrument Pete sent over, the second in the collection, was heavily modified, stage-used, and invaluable. It's a truly unique piece that's currently on display as part of the "Treasures of the Hard Rock" traveling exhibit. Check out hardrock.com for tour dates.
Dimebag Darrell's Custom Washburn
late, great Dimebag Darrell used this custom Washburn on tour with Pantera in support of their final album, 2000's Reinventing the Steel . Shortly thereafter, Dime and Vinnie formed Damageplan and Darrell was gunned down onstage in the most senseless and painful act of crazed-fan violence since the death of John Lennon, which occurred 24 years prior TO THE DAY. That makes December 8 an almost freakishly sad day in the history of rock music. This axe is currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas, Texas.
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