What do you think the most iconic acoustic guitar is?

[Ozark]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

And IF you can guarantee that Johnson actually played what was then a relatively expensive guitar. Aside from two pictures there is no hard evidence that he played Gibson. Same with Nick Drake and the Guild M20, which he never actually used other than as a photo prop, but which I have seen retailers using as a marketing opportunity, suggesting a genuine association.
As for 'iconic', what do we actually mean? 'Most visible'? If we're talking Bluegrass then naturally it will be either a D-18 or D-28. If it's Rockabilly it'll be a fat Gretsch G6120 of some description, Blues rock; the Les Paul, Jazz; the ES175...
Personally I feel that words like 'iconic', 'awesome' and 'hero' (essentially anyone who ever put on a uniform), are grossly overused to the point where their impact has been distilled into meaningless blandness.

Andrew you are right on the Gibson L1. It is unknown if he actually owned it. Even though he is pictured with the L1 his friends reported that he actually played a Kalamazoo KG-14 which was much cheaper than the L1. Either one of these are "Iconic" though because without one or the other and Johnson's playing of them we may not have the music styles we enjoy today. IMO.

[M19]

Acoustic....kinda....

Steve Howe's ES-175:



Of if you want to be picky, his 00-18:

[RP]

When I first read the title of this thread, my perception was a guitar that was iconic due to omnipresence and status as an archetype of sorts, not so much because of its connection to any one performer. Following this idea I'd nominate Martin's D-18....

Originally Posted by Shadowfox

I'm only 28. So when I think of acoustics I don't think of what guitar but when. Like Cobain's acoustic set on MTV.

Following this line of thought I'd have to go with Martin's 000-28EC....

[Goodallboy]

I too thought the OP was focusing on a guitar/model, not a connection to an artist.

In keeping with my perception I’ll nominate the Martin Dreadnaught as the most iconic acoustic guitar.

[3woodengulls]

Richie havens guild d-40 comes to mind

[Pitar]

There isn't a guitar out there previously owned by any notoriety I ever think about, much less would want to own. But, I can think of the skill sets that gave them their charm. Perhaps they are the better, if not more realistic, aspects to both think about and desire?

[sid45]

happy trails to all- roy rogers martin started it for me- the old roy rogers, king of the cowboys ! this discussion has an age angle to it for sure

[devellis]

Clearly, "iconic" can mean different things.

I think the early posts in this thread took "iconic" to mean signifying a particular player. So, we were talking about guitars that, all by themselves, conjured up an unambiguous image of their owner/player. Trigger is a clear example of that. These are guitars that, seen all by themselves, would be associated with a particular musician by most people who play guitars. Buck Owens' red-white-and blue Harmony, at least for folks who were watching TV in the Hee-Haw era, is another example.



Tony Rice's large-hole Martin is pretty recognizable among people around here but I'm not sure how many "regular" guitar players would recognize it. It sure has had an impact, though, as has Mother Maybelle's Gibson.

Another guitar fitting this definition of "iconic" Woody Guthrie's "This machine kills fascists" guitar. See the guitar, instantly know the owner/player.



Then, there are guitars we instantly associate with a particular player because they cheat. Take this example:



On the other hand, I think lots of folks would know who this belonged to even without the name on it.



This one, on the other hand, was a pretty special guitar but I'm not sure people would differentiate it from a regular Guild 512 without John standing behind it to give a size reference.



Then there are are other interpretations of "iconic". One is the idea of a guitar that represents the American acoustic guitar. I think this is what Wade had in mind when he aptly nominate the Martin D28. It's really representative of American acoustics in a way that no other guitar can match.

But there are still other ways in which a guitar can be iconic, as a representation of a builder



an era, like the psychedelic sixties



or a genre, like Rhinestone-Cowboy country music




So, lots of ways to think about "iconic guitars."

[jdto]

Woody Guthrie’s Fascist-Killing Machine is one of the coolest for me. The J-45 and its variants are up there for iconic, but the D-28 is the most iconic guitar model. I also really like the Hummingbird.

[varmonter]

https://imgur.com/gallery/vihyR

certainly iconic

[fingerstile]

I see that my original question caused some confusion. Sorry about that. I wasn't thinking in terms of models, though I see why you may have thought so.

I was thinking about particular guitars, ones that are iconic not merely through association with an artist but because the guitar itself is an incredible instrument.

Example: Dave Rawlings' Epiphone Olympic. That particular guitar, the very one played by David (not Olympics in general), has that magic fairy dust that I think would make it amazing no matter who owned it.

Guitars like that.

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by jstroop

For folks my age, The Kingston Trio ignited the acoustic folk boom of the 60s and made the Martin D-28 an object of lust for every wannabe picker.

To take it a step further, I believe Bob Shane's D-28 is the reason this forum exists. Like them or not, TKT ignited the folk boom which in turn spawned the visibility and use of acoustic guitars in general, and it's eventual cross pollination to other music forms. Yes, it had been used prior in Bluegrass and Country but its' mainstreaming started with TKT.

[handers]

It's a tie:

Torres FE-17 (1864, first epoch, in the Spanish school)
(http://classicalguitarmagazine.com/6...orres-guitars/)
owned and played by Tarrega and Pujol. Torres is said brought the guitar from a smaller baroque style into a larger and louder instrument capable of filling a larger concert hall.

The Stauffer Legnani model (1822) in Vienna (http://www.earlyromanticguitar.com/erg/stauferpics.htm)
in which shop CF Martin trained before coming to NY and .... well, you know the rest.

Hans

[rxm1611]

Originally Posted by Greg Rappleye

Here are two contenders from Epiphone:

1. Paul McCartney's Epiphone Texan (w/Red Wings sticker)

2. Gram Parson's Epiphone Frontier Rope & Cactus



Greg Rappleye

Did not McCartney add a Pittsburgh Penguins sticker as well?

[Montesdad]

Whatever guitar Dolly is hugging here - pretty sure it's a Taylor X14/GA
(slightly customized, probably not something you'd see on the wall at GC)



(would just like to be the guitar)