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See Clapton’s ’58 Explorer, Keef’s ’53 Tele, Setzer’s ’56 Silver Jet, and More

See Clapton’s ’58 Explorer, Keef’s ’53 Tele, Setzer’s ’56 Silver Jet, and More

Eric Clapton’s 1958 korina Gibson Explorer on display is likely the second one he owned, which was acquired in the early ’80s. His more famed Explorer appeared on Slowhand’s 1975 live album, E.C. Was Here, and traveled the world with him on his 1974-’75 tour.

Photo courtesy of Frist Art Museum

Nashville’s Frist Art Museum’s new exhibit, Storied Strings, presents iconic guitars in wood, steel, paint, photography, and sculpture. The show runs through August 13 but catch a preview here.

Nashville, TN — Celebrity guitars, classic 6-string designs, photos of musicians from Woody Guthrie to Prince, paintings, and other works of art comprise the Frist Art Museum’s Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art, which will be on exhibit through August 13. It’s the first show to explore the instrument’s symbolism in American art, from the early 19th century through the present, and includes 125 beautifully curated works.

In addition to Eric Clapton’s ’58s Explorer, above, here are some highlights for gear fiends—and there are plenty of other instruments not pictured:


Keith Richards’ ’53 Fender Telecaster

Richards’ ’53 Tele sports a Broadcaster neck. The Rolling Stones’ guitarist played this instruments in the ’80s and ’90s.

Photo courtesy of Frist Art Museum

Brian Setzer’s ’56 Gretsch Silver Jet

The former Stray Cat strutted with this sparkling example of a Gretsch classic for about 20 years, starting in 2000.

Freddie King’s ’63 ES-335

This guitar is among the iconic Gibsons associated with King during his career, which helped define the sound of blues rock. King’s other favorites included a 1954 Les Paul goldtop that was destroyed when it was tipped over by his children at play, and a 1964 ES-345 that he used on his 1971 album, Getting Ready.

1930s Stella Gambler Deluxe

This Oscar Schmidt-built 12-string work of art, circa 1930, came decorated with overlapping playing cards in a nod to America’s preoccupation with gambling.

John Lee Hooker’s ’65 ES-335

The great bluesman employed a wide variety of models during his career, which spanned more than a half-century, ranging from Stella acoustics to the Epiphone Sheraton to this Gibson ES-335.

Gibson Style O

Gibson made these Style O hand-carved archtops from 1908 to 1925. It has a spruce top and maple back and sides.

Celebrity Guitars

This wall of guitars played by famed musicians also includes a 1954 Stratocaster owned by Eldon Shamblin, a member of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys who helped craft the Western swing sound; Les Paul’s 1975 Recording model, which was a guinea pig for many of his mod experiments; a rare salmon-finish 1963 Strat; and a 1955 Strat played by Ronnie Wood.

Courtesy of Frist Art Museum

A rig meant to inspire! That’s Jerry Garcia with his Doug Irwin-built Tiger guitar, in front of his Twin Reverb + McIntosh + JBL amp rig.

Photo by Frank White

Three decades after the final Grateful Dead performance, Jerry Garcia’s sound continues to cast a long shadow. Guitarists Jeff Mattson of Dark Star Orchestra, Tom Hamilton of JRAD, and Bella Rayne explain how they interpret Garcia’s legacy musically and with their gear.

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Lloyd Baggs made his first acoustic guitar when he was a fine-art lithographer and soon found himself building instruments for Ry Cooder, Jackson Brown, Janis Ian, and other stars. Today he is an innovator in acoustic guitar pickup design.

The master guitar builder and pickup maker explains how our favorite unplugged 6-strings do their thing, for the strumming layperson and aspiring luthier alike.

It’s utterly amazing that a satisfying acoustic guitar can be assembled from a few pieces of wood. That’s magic. And the mystery, magic, and quest to create the perfect guitar tone is what I think drives most luthiers.

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Taylor Guitars, one of the world’s leading acoustic guitar brands, has teamed up with Sony Pictures Consumer Products and HBO®to unveil a replica of the acoustic guitar featured in the award-winning HBO Original series The Last of Us, which is now streaming its second season on Max. This collaboration brings fans and musicians alike an exact replica of the guitar Joel gives Ellie in the critically acclaimed show.

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GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series of Intelligent Guitars
GTRS Announces the W902, The Latest Update to its Wing-series of Intelligent Guitars
GTRS has introduced the W902, the newest release in GTRS’ Wing-series Intelligent Guitar lineup, expanding on the series’ cutting-edge features while maintaining an accessible price point.
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