THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK FROM
“The Strat that Jimi Hendrix played “Machine Gun” ‘on is legendary. There’s that one long note at the beginning of the guitar solo and it sounds like the jungle exploding into gunfire. He pulled no punches with that one, and it’s indelible - it’s immortal.”
Vernon Reid
Living Color
“What defines the immortality of the instrument is the visual and sonic moments in history… so it wasn’t just the sound, it was how cool it looked”
Paul Gilbert
Mr. Big
"In 1976, I was 10 years old, and the Les Paul from Frampton Comes Alive guitar was the ultimate. I would take pieces of cardboard, cut and tape them up in the same shape of the guitar and play air guitar to that album! That guitar to me is an immortal guitar. As a kid, I’d stare at that cover and have the live concert experience in my headphones.”
Frank Hannon
Tesla
“Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock guitar is a magic combination of player and instrument. I think of all the sounds Jimi pulled out of his guitar; that music has inspired a lot of people and will keep on inspiring them forever.”
Orianthi
“Everything goes back to The Beatles for me. I think about Paul McCartney’s Hofner bass. The history behind that! If you were in a room with it, just knowing the fact that it exists, you’d be like, “Wow.” Listen to his bass on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and that’s it.”
Scotti Hill
Skid Row
“My favorite immortal guitar is my own 1968 Gibson Les Paul. I’m having it buried with me, because I’ve got to have something to play in the afterlife.”
Marc Ferrari
Keel
“The Bo Diddley homemade or the Wes Montgomery Gibson L-4 with a Charlie Christian pick up. These guitars are immortal because people really wrote folk songs on them, that became rock or heavy rock, that people relate to when it reaches a part of their heart at a certain age. It revives a bunch of great memories for them and that’s what makes the guitar immortal.”
Steve Morse
Deep Purple
“Definitely an old “Keef” Telecaster would be an immortal guitar. I don’t know which one, but I would settle for any one of Keith’s Tele’s from the early 60’s. I’d play “Wild Horses” or “Winter” on it.”
Lita Ford
“Automatically, I say Hendrix’s Strat is an immortal guitar. As for a bass, I’d play Paul McCartney’s - the one that had the setlist taped to it.”
Billy Sheehan
Sons of Apollo & Mr. Big
“The white guitar that Jimi Hendrix played “Star Spangled Banner” on at Woodstock is an immortal axe. Another one would be a guitar that George Benson was playing when I saw him in concert as a kid. I think it was an Ibanez. To me, George is the greatest guitar player of all time.”
Richie Kotzen
THE LIST
Artists
Bands
Adrian Smith
Al Kooper
Albert King
Albert Lee
Aldo Nova
Alex Skolnick
B.B. King
Billy Duffy
Billy Sheehan / Bass
Blackbyrd McKnight
Bo Diddley
Bob Bain
Brad Paisley
Brad Whitford
Brian Forsythe
Brian May
Brian Ray
Brian Wheat
Bruce Conte
Buck Dharma
Buck Owens
Buddy Guy
Carlos Cavazo
Charlie Christian
Chet Atkins
Chris Squire
Cliff Burton
Daniel Ash
Dave Alvin
Dave Davies
Dave Grohl
Dave Murray
Dave Rude
Dave Sharp
David Ellefson
David Gilmour
Denis “Piggy” D’Amour
Dick Wagner
Dimebag Darrell
Doyle Bramhall II
Duane Allman
Eldon Shamblin
Elvis Presley
Eric Bloom
Eric Clapton
Francis “Rocco” Prestia
Frank Hannon
Gary Moore
Geezer Butler
George Benson
George Harrison
George Thorogood
Glen Campbell
Guitar Shorty
Howard Leese
Jackson Browne
James Burton
James Hetfield
Janick Gers
Jeff Beck
Jeff Carlisi
Jennifer Batten
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Garcia
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Joan Jett
Joe Perry
John 5
John Entwistle
John Fryer
John Lee Hooker
John Lennon
John Mayall
Johnny Cash
Keith Richards
Kirk Hammett
Krist Novoselic
Kurt Cobain
Laurence Juber
Les Paul
Lita Ford
Lou Pallo
Lowell Fulson
Lucinda Williams
Luther Dickenson
Malcolm Young
Marc Ferrari
Marty Friedman
Merle Haggard
Michael Anthony
Michael Franti
Mike Bloomfield
Mike Einziger
Mike Oldfield
Mike Starr
Nancy Wilson
Neil Giraldo
Nita Strauss
Nuno Bettencourt
Orianthi
Patti Quatro
Paul Dean
Paul Gilbert
Paul McCartney
Paul Nowinski
Paul Reed Smith
Pearl Thompson
Pete Townshend
Peter Frampton
Phil Collen
Phil Lesh
R.L. Burnside
Randy Rhoads
Rick Danko
Rick Savage
Rick Springfield
Rick Vito
Ricky Byrd
Robert Belfour
Robert Trujillo
Roger Steen
Ron Thal – Bumblefoot
Ronnie Lane
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Wood
Rory Gallagher
Rusty Anderson
Scott Ian
St. Vincent
Stephen Stills
Steve Clark
Steve Cropper
Steve Hackett
Steve Harris
Steve Howe
Steve Marriott
Steve Stevens
Stevie Salas
Susan Tedeschi
Susanna Hoffs
Suzi Quatro
T-Model Ford
Todd Rundgren
Tom Petty
Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Thayer
Tony Iommi
Vernon Reid
Vicky Peterson
Vivian Campbell
Waddy Wachtel
Whitey Kirst
Will Lee
William Reid
Willy DeVille
Zakk Wylde
REVIEWS
Dave & Dave VH Unchained: A VH Podcast on Spotify – Mention is at 41:30
About the author
Lisa S.
Johnson
From the photographer of the critically acclaimed 108 Rock Star Guitars comes a new collection of beautifully shot guitar photos, documenting the legendary instruments of B.B. King, Kurt Cobain, St. Vincent, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and more than one hundred and fifty legendary rock icons.
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