Is your interest in an artist tied to their guitar?

[ErickC]

No. I practically worship Bob Mould, and he's been playing Strats since the 90s. I like lots of Fenders. I do not like Strats particularly much.

[capmaster]

When Allan Holdsworth started playing the SyntheAxe I lost some interest in his music.

That's understood.

[LarryUK]

I think people's view of an artist with a certain guitar is often misleading. A perfect example is Jimmy Page. Everyone sees him as a Les Paul player. But he often used a Telecaster in the studio. I think lots of artists use other guitars and have deals for live playing.

[fretplay]

I think you are on your own here Steve. The main guitar change for a artist must be from electric to acoustic and bands who do this like Crosby Stills and Nash,Eagles etc make a point of the session and do a number of songs using those instruments but it doesn't seem to be quite so common now.

 

If you take someone like George Harrison iconic electric player for the Beatles his first solo hit was with a twelve string. If you take someone like John Mayer who is at home with both electric or acoustic it is always exciting to see what he is going to play next. However over the top of all of these things it is the music that counts.

['Scales]

Keef changes make and model between Fender and Gibson pretty much every damn song!

[Searcy]

Here's Ace with his Ibanez.

 

Then there's these kids...

 

[Guest Farnsbarns]

This is a strange question I would never have thought of. It's a resounding no from me! I might be strange but I listen with my ears. Most of the time I couldn't tell a specific model was being used unless I was watching live.

[Searcy]

This is a strange question I would never have thought of. It's a resounding no from me! I might be strange but I listen with my ears. Most of the time I couldn't tell a specific model was being used unless I was watching live.

 

I'm right there with ya. I also as a kid used to read up on all the instruments used by my favorite player on the records that I loved and I learned that, in the studio, anything goes. The guitar an artists is frequently photographed with live is usually not the guitar they are recording albums with.

 

I'll never forget being part of a group that was interviewing an up and coming Rockabilly picker a few years ago. Not a household name but a good player that was moving up in the small rockabilly circle. Famous for his Gretsch and Vox amp combo, everyone wanted to know which Gretsch and Vox he used to get the killer tone on his breakthrough album. I'll never forget his reply.

 

"Oh that? I used a 1974 pancake body Les Paul with mini humbuckers into a Line6 POD"

 

The room was silent.

 

So much of what we know about tone simply isn't true.

 

Trust you ears.

[darling67]

Not sure who you listen to but if you listen to The Who, PT played Schecter in the early '80's. If you listen to Metallica, Hetfeild plays ESP, if you listen to Paul Gilbert he plays Ibanez as well a Via and Satriani.

 

You just proved my case for me, FZ!

 

When I think of Townshend, I think "Rickenbacker", "Fender", or "Gibson". I am not the hugest WHo fan, so I am not as familiar with the guitars he's played over the course of his entire career. Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing an ad in a magazine where he's shown playing a black ESP "Telecaster" model. That would have been the mid-80's, yes.

 

The others you mentioned, I respect them for their contributions. But I've never been a fan in the slightest.

[79cb750f]

Leslie West played a 1956 Les Paul Junior on Missisippi Queen and so do I

[saturn]

I'm right there with ya. I also as a kid used to read up on all the instruments used by my favorite player on the records that I loved and I learned that, in the studio, anything goes. The guitar an artists is frequently photographed with live is usually not the guitar they are recording albums with.

 

I'll never forget being part of a group that was interviewing an up and coming Rockabilly picker a few years ago. Not a household name but a good player that was moving up in the small rockabilly circle. Famous for his Gretsch and Vox amp combo, everyone wanted to know which Gretsch and Vox he used to get the killer tone on his breakthrough album. I'll never forget his reply.

 

"Oh that? I used a 1974 pancake body Les Paul with mini humbuckers into a Line6 POD"

 

The room was silent.

 

So much of what we know about tone simply isn't true.

 

Trust you ears.

 

Or don't trust your ears. :)

[darling67]

Who do you listen to. Until you see someone live or the album lists what guitar they used on every track you may be surprised what people are using. Of course we associate Clapton with a Strat, JImmy Page with LP, Angus with an SG, Roger McGuinn with a 12 String Ric and the list could go on and on.

 

FZ, yeah I know... I am sure a lot of my favorite artists have picked up a guitar that did not/does not adhere to my list of makes.

 

But this thread, as I understand it, pertains to the guitar/s an artist is known for—what we associate them with. To me, it's a general topic and not really about what guitar they might have used on one session, one show, etc.

 

Anyway, I wanted to list the top-10 artists/bands in my music collection to illustrate my original post:

 

1.) The Beatles (Gretsch, Rickenbacker, Epiphone, Gibson, Fender)

 

2.) Led Zeppelin (Gibson, Fender)

 

3. YES (Gibson, Rickenbacker, Fender)

 

4.) The Rolling Stones (Gibson, Epiphone, Fender… Ronnie Wood plays Zemaitis)

 

5.) U2 (Gibson, Fender, Epiphone)

 

6.) R.E.M. (Rickenbacker and Fender)

 

7.) The Replacements (Nearly exclusively Gibson ... with a Fender here and there)

 

8.) The Pretenders (Fender, Gibson... and Honeyman-Scott also played Zemaitis! )

 

9.) Eric Clapton/Cream (Gibson, Fender)

 

10.) The Allman Brothers (Gibson)

 

Of course, I listen to many, many more bands and artists than these... of varying sub-genres of "rock". But the above represent my favorites and they all are known for an "exclusive club" of brands. I don't think it's a coincidence. The type of music I like the most tends to "recognize" the more classic, and arguably best, guitars out there. Even bands and artists I like very much but never really got into or bought much music by—like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, etc.—play Gibson and Fender primarily.

 

There are always exceptions ... I love Van Halen, and Eddie plays what—Jackson and Music Man, mainly? I grew to appreciate Metal bands like Judas Priest, and they play Schecters(?). I recall seeing Tipton playing a Fender Strat(?).

 

Ok... long post—longer than anticipated! So in closing, again... my interest in artists are not "tied to" the guitars they play. I am only pointing out the trend in guitars played amongst them.

 

[milod]

I guess that the least of my interest in a given artist is what guitar he/she might be playing.

 

To me, more might be suggested about the style of an artist changing significantly but... even then...

 

I can feature an interest in whether Artist A prefers a longer or shorter scale instrument, or even who insists on miking an acoustic as opposed to using it AE, or vice versa.

 

But development in style is almost a guarantee. As we grow older, different musical concepts are not only natural, but almost guaranteed. For example, I used to like a Bach fugue but now I appreciate it all the more.

 

We're odd creatures as musicians when we not only recognize the change in others of our ilk, but finally grow to recognize the changes in our own playing. And it does and will if we actually continue playing.

 

m

[charlie brown]

I pretty much got over, equating an artist's music, with any particular guitar, early on!

I admit I bought my Fender Strat (in 1964) because I knew that Buddy Holly used one, and

later (1966) I got my Gretsch Country Gent, because I'd seen George Harrison using one, for

several years, although he used his Tennessean, as much, as well. Nearly as soon as I'd

purchased my Gretsch, they all switched to Epiphone Casino's! LOL So, that taught me a

valuable lesson, regarding Artist's and their guitars!

 

However, although I've never bought guitars, for those reasons, since my "teens," I DO admit,

I prefer Clapton's tone, with Gibson guitars and Marshall amps, to his "Fender" tone. However,

there are certain songs, he's done, that the "Strat" sound was perfect for! So...???

Whatever works, I say!

 

I'm pretty sure those artist's use a variety of guitars (and amps), for the same reasons we do...

different sounds and/or tones! To have a more varied tonal arsenal. And, certain guitars

just inspire different approaches, as well. It's ALL good!

 

CB

[capmaster]

...

Whatever works, I say!

 

I'm pretty sure those artist's use a variety of guitars (and amps), for the same reasons we do...

different sounds and/or tones! To have a more varied tonal arsenal. And, certain guitars

just inspire different approaches, as well. It's ALL good!

 

CB

+++1

[Jimi Mac]

I get what you are saying...

 

To look at myself, I must confess, to an extent, I do get hot or cold when my heroes and influences change guitars... Some more than others...

 

But almost every guitarist I ever liked has changed guitars at one time or another and like myself they own an array of different guitars and most of them have used several different guitars at one time or another in their careers...

 

I cringe when I hear Peter Green's Strat work. I simply dislike (a slightly harsh description "Fast Talking Woman Blues" on that Strat, but the same song in its "Drifiting" form with the Les Paul is simply stunningly sublime to me.

 

I must say though that Eric Clapton's work has been so prolific on both Gibsons and Fenders that I seem to accept and even like it all from one end of the spectrum to the other. From Crossroads on his ES335 to his work with Cream on The Fool SG, and even his heavenly Beano album days on that 60 Burst LP, his Firebird w/Cream and then his Explorer before he really took off on his Strat, and then the majority of his work after the 1970's on a Strat, I like it as varied as it is.

 

I've seen Otis Rush personally with a Strat, and his tone is his tone! I've heard more of his stuff with a Gibson or Epiphone and potentially prefer it that way I suspect.

 

SRV is always a Strat in my Mind. I had the privilege of seeing him before his passing...

 

Buddy Guy is also a Strat guy in my mind, but when I first started seeing him live and in person he was playing that Guild Nightbird and it simply rocked! He's played everything from a Guild Starfire to a Gibson ES, but mostly he's been a Strat guy and has basically defined that tone in his career and he is simply untouchable at that...

 

I remember Pete Townsend mostly on his Ric, but later learned of his obsession with LP Deluxes and even a history with an SG.

 

I've seen Dickey Betts with a Strat with The Allman Bros, but I associate him more with an SG or LP.

 

Peter Green to me is the Holy Grail of Les Paul and while Danny Kirwan played a Tele and that Strat along with that Strat-like Axe he played alot when first joining FM; Pippy and a few others know what it is off the top of their heads, I can't recall what it is right this moment, but the majority of his career was a Les Paul, from the '56 GoldTop, to Peter's #2 '59 Burst, to that 3-pickup Black Beauty after Peter's Departure from FM.

 

Gary Moore has played nearly everything, and well too. His Night of the Strat and Experience Hendrix work on a Strat to his Blues for Greeny and even owning and playing Peter Green's #1 '59 Burst (The Holy Grail) now owned and played by Kirk Hammet. But I mostly associate Gary with a Les Paul and seem to like his work on that best, but his Strat version of Red House is absolutely stunning!

 

I think at first knee-jerk I might like one over another from my heroes best and exercise a little snobbery about it, but when I really think about it on most levels I generally like the different offerings on different axes...

 

I certainly bought my first quality axe; 1989 Torino Red American Standard Strat because of Eric Clapton, SRV, and Buddy Guy.

 

But after maturing thru my life I've evolved to hard-tails and Les Pauls mostly. I have 2 Gibson Les Pauls now and 2 Vintage Brand copies. They are where I'm at in my musical tastes now and frankly am not interested in a Fender other than maybe a Starcaster reissue...