When it comes to rock, folk, country, and just about any other genre of popular music, the guitar is often prominently involved. It’s the perfect instrument in many ways, big enough to make an impact but small enough to be compact and portable.
Videos by American Songwriter
There are six-string guitars, 12-string guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, nylon-string guitars, and other varieties galore. But which are the most famous guitars in the history of popular music?
[RELATED: The Little Known History of Willie Nelson’s Beat-Up Beloved Acoustic Guitar “Trigger”]
1. Willie Nelson’s “Trigger”
If you’ve ever seen Willie Nelson play guitar, then you’ve almost assuredly seen him play his beat-up old Spanish string guitar that he calls “Trigger.” In 1969 after one of his former guitars got stepped on by a drunken dude, Nelson was offered a new guitar as a replacement, a Martin N-20 Classical guitar (with nylon strings). He bought it for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers’ horse. Today, Nelson doesn’t play any guitar other than Trigger. The instrument’s body has been signed by more than 100 of Nelson’s friends and collaborators, ranging from musicians to lawyers to football coaches.
2. Woody Guthrie’s Acoustic
Have you ever heard the phrase “This machine kills fascists”? Well, if you have, you likely have also seen Woody Guthrie’s acoustic guitar, which bears the phrase. It all began in 1943, in the wake of WWII, during which Nazis and fascists were trying to take over the world. But the free-thinking, art- and democratic-minded Guthrie wanted no part of it. The “This Land Is Your Land” singer made sure all who saw him knew his position on the matter.
3. Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstrat
Nearly every one of Eddie Van Halen’s most famous photos, videos, and images shows him playing a red guitar that looks almost as much like a Jackson Pollock painting as it does a musical instrument. As the name suggests, it’s something of a guitar monster created from parts of other guitars. With a red body and spider web-like lines all throughout, the instrument is distinct and beloved. Originally part Gibson and part Fender, the guitar design has undergone changes over the years but no matter what it’s made of, it looks like it could hang in a museum.
4. The Les Paul
You know you’re onto something when your name is synonymous with guitars. First sold in 1952, the Gibson Les Paul is a solid-body electric guitar designed by the musician Les Paul. While this guitar has changed over time from the pickups used to the physical design, the name Les Paul remains famous and a part of guitar luthier lore.
5. Paul McCartney’s Höfner Bass
For those fans just learning about The Beatles, their eyes may wander over to shots of frontman Paul McCartney playing his instrument. Is that a guitar? Is that a bass? Doesn’t the star of the band almost always play guitar? Well, when the Beatles were first forming, they had two guitar players (John Lennon and George Harrison) but they needed a bass guitar player. So, McCartney took up the reigns. But he didn’t play just any bass, he played the Höfner Violin Bass, a cute little thing with a small body and a bouncy tone. Since then, the instrument has come to be known as the Beatles bass. McCartney liked it because, as a left-handed player, it wouldn’t look odd turned upside down and played. That, and it was cheaper than other popular basses at the time.
Photo: Kirby Gladstein *Provided by The Oriel PR
