One of the perks of being a world-famous musician with disposable income is that you can, if you’re lucky, purchase the instruments that belonged to your musical idols. That’s what the following big names in classic rock did, and I doubt they regret shelling out the big bucks to take home such precious memorabilia. In fact, each of these artists performs live with these instruments often, so they’re definitely not collector’s items sitting on a shelf collecting dust somewhere. Let’s look at a few rock stars who got to take home the instruments of their idols!
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Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney’s admiration of Bill Black led to him getting his hands on the famed bassist’s stand-up bass. And on several occasions, McCartney has showed this beauty off on the road, using it for several songs during live concerts. For reference, Bill Black is best known for his pioneering work in rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley’s early band, The Blue Moon Boys, and later formed Bill Black’s Combo.
The story goes that McCartney received the bass as a gift from his late wife Linda in the 1970s. McCartney plays the bass on the song “Baby’s Request” from the 1979 Wings album Back To The Egg.
David Gilmour
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour is well-known for collecting musical instruments. Among his extensive collection lies the #0001 Stratocaster that once belonged to Seymour Duncan. For those who are unfamiliar, Seymour W. Duncan was a famed luthier and guitarist who would launch his namesake company in 1976, which continues to sell guitar pickups today.
Gilmour would say in 1989 that he found the instrument with some help from Motörhead’s Phil Taylor. Apparently, the guitar belonged to another legend in the music equipment world, one Leo Fender. Duncan purchased the guitar from him, sold it to Taylor for just short of a grand, and then Gilmour purchased it from him.
Neil Young
Most Neil Young fans out there know how much Neil Young loves Hank Williams, both the real-life country icon and the guitar named after him. Young’s “Hank,” a 1941 Martin D-28, was sold by Hank Williams Jr. (for some guns, apparently) and ended up in several musicians’ possession before Young happened upon it. We can thank Young’s friend Grant Boatwright for that, as he bought the guitar from local Nashville music store icon Tut Taylor in the 1990s for Young. Young continues to take the instrument on the road.
Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images
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