Famous Guitars (& Basses) - Photos Please!

What are some of your favorite 'famous' guitars and bass guitars. Photos please!

When I was a kid I used to love watching singing cowboy 'Roy Rogers'. And I loved that beautiful acoustic guitar that he had. Turns out it was a much more special guitar than even he knew.


Nazareth, PA - April 3, 2009 - An anonymous bidder has acquired the "King of Cowboys" Roy Rogers' infamous OM-45 Deluxe Martin Guitar, one of the rarest and considered among many collectors the most coveted. $460,000 was the winning bid during an auction held at Christies in New York today. The guitar was put up for auction by The Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri.

Originally purchased, used, for $30 at a California pawn shop in 1933 by a young and unknown musician by the name of Leonard Slye, (Roy's real name) this guitar was the very first OM-45 Deluxe model guitar Martin produced in 1930 (#1 of 15 total). It is the prototype for one of Martin's rarest, most beautiful and highly coveted models. Slye, years later, would go on to become cowboy legend Roy Rogers, never knowing the historical significance of the guitar. Over time, the Martin OM-45 Deluxe would become synonymous with the Rogers stage and film persona.

Sold brand new for $225 in 1930, this guitar was Martin's most expensive model to date. It is not known who the guitar was originally sold to and what happened between that 1930 purchase and Slye's bargain buy a few years later. What is certain is the information still found in C.F. Martin's records, and like many things in Martin's history, upon closer inspection the numbers often tell a previously unknown story. Comparing the timeline, order and expense record books with the serial number log and the notes for the first OM-45 and OM-45 Deluxe models, it's clear that serial #42125, the OM-45 Deluxe made famous by Roy Rogers, is the very first OM-45 Deluxe model produced.

 

My favorite guitar in the world:

 

Speaking of Roy Rogers (post #1)...

Here's Willie Nelson with 'Trigger', named after Roy Rogers' horse.

 

That guitar sounds a lot better than it looks. ........ Is Willie still using it live?

 

a couple I have seen up close

 

Number 1 and number 2

 

Used for the 1st album and the Stairway solo etc...Painted by Jimmy.

 

Doesn't get more iconic than this:

 

Blackmore's Maple (natural) wood 1974/5 Strat and Tommy Bolin's 1963 Strat with Telecaster neck. Would love to play those bad boy's. Add Glenn Hughes Candy Apple Rickenbacker Bass too.

 

The same Telecaster a few months earlier. The Yardbirds at the Fillmore. Guess which song they are playing? See Jake Holms thread.

 

1971 Gibson EDS-1275 played by Jimmy Page

 

Oh -- "famous."
Sorry.

 

A not very good picture of Jack Bruce's EB-3.

And yes Todd, I laughed...

 

Of course Jaco's Bass Of Doom! Before restoration:

and after:

 

Here's Jaco with the famous beat up bass.

I saw Weather Report in May '79 at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. We were near the entrance still waiting to go in. About 2 minutes before WR was to go on a Limo pulls up, Jaco jumps out with this bass in hand, takes a slug from a bottle that a fan gives him, and heads right up to the stage, plugs in and starts warming up. What a character. (Joe Z didn't seem too amused.) The next day he played with Joni Mitchell, which was very cool.

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Cool thread, hope this continues!

 

Yikes! I don't know the story on that. Did Jaco cause that damage to his bass, or was it like that before he adopted it? How could it have possibly sounded the same after restoration?

 

You took that pic, right? Very cool. I think Jeff Beck may have given him that tele (or maybe Jimmy just stole it) .

Here's the very lightweight Danelectro DC-3 used for White Summer and later for Kashmir and In My Time of Dying live.

 

Tiger

 

Here's the full story of Jaco's bass: http://www.ricksuchow.com/press-group-234.html

 

David Gilmour's Black Strat

Gilmour's Black Strat

 

Did you say Basses?



At home, with 1964 Gibson Thunderbird IV bass, and son Christopher with 1972 mini Thunderbird bass.



At play, Dec.15, 1971 in Seattle, John plays an updated version of the Fender Jazz Axe bass, now with a new neck with bound headstock.