Famous Vintage Electric Guitar Provenance?

[Dru Edwards]

Anyone interested in vintage electric guitar provenance? Specifically, guitars played by famous people throughout the years.

For example, the "Kossoff Strat" is a 1957 Fender Strat played by Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. After he died, Dave Murray of Iron Maiden bought it in 1975 (it was around the time he started off with the band). That was Murray's main guitar throughout the 80s and was played on albums and tours. There's also some mystery around the guitar as to whether the body is also a 1957.

Another example is the Peter Green 1959 Gibson Les Paul, "Greeny". It was sold to Gary Moore who played it for years. It was bought a couple of years ago by Metallica's Kirk Hammett for an undisclosed amount but rumors put it around $2M.

Anyone else interested in these stories? Is there a good book out there with this info?

Share your stories.

[muscmp]

other than interesting because i'm interested in guitars, not really. some of this may be to pump up the price when the present owner(s) wish to sell.

i have a gibson reverb unit i bought from joe bonamassa but i really doubt anyone cares except for me.

play music!

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by muscmp

other than interesting because i'm interested in guitars, not really. some of this may be to pump up the price when the present owner(s) wish to sell.

i have a gibson reverb unit i bought from joe bonamassa but i really doubt anyone cares except for me.

play music!

I guess I just like seeing guitars pass hands and knowing the history of some of them.

You have a reverb unit you bought from Joe B? I think that's cool! How did you buy it?

[muscmp]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I guess I just like seeing guitars pass hands and knowing the history of some of them.

You have a reverb unit you bought from Joe B? I think that's cool! How did you buy it?

well, dru, i guess i'm wrong as someone does care. ha!

he has a well stocked industrial space near the burbank airport and i found out that he was selling some of his stuff. most were old marshall amps and old guitars that i couldn't afford, but, i found the gibson reverb unit and bought it from him. my friend bought a small harmony amp that i went thru and repaired for him.

dru: i'll bet you'd like to have one of these marshalls!

play music!

[IMG][/IMG]

[Steve DeRosa]

Had the pleasure/honor of playing Wes Montgomery's single-PU L-5 at MandoBros several years ago...

[Acousticado]

I have no stories to share, but as a former owner of a ‘58 Strat for many years, I’m quite interested in vintage electrics and enjoy reading about their history just for interest sake.

[Dru Edwards]

Cool story! Is that you next to Joe?

Yep, I'd enjoy seeing gear that's played by a famous guitarist. I'd like to buy something too, as long as its at market value. Joe is a gear nut - he probably has a couple of full warehouses full of gear.

I have his Epiphone Les Paul signature model with the Gibson Burstbuckers. I didn't know who Joe was when I bought it used a couple of years ago but the guitar was a great price, played well, US electronics.

Originally Posted by muscmp

well, dru, i guess i'm wrong as someone does care. ha!

he has a well stocked industrial space near the burbank airport and i found out that he was selling some of his stuff. most were old marshall amps and old guitars that i couldn't afford, but, i found the gibson reverb unit and bought it from him. my friend bought a small harmony amp that i went thru and repaired for him.

dru: i'll bet you'd like to have one of these marshalls!

play music!

[IMG][/IMG]

[Bob Womack]

It is interesting how some of these guitars are beginning to have chains of ownership very much like the Stradivarius violins. Many are referred to by the name of the famous owner, ie. the John Sebastian 'Burst, Greenie, etc.

Bob

[J Patrick]

...Springsteens tele springs to mind...read more here...

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/f...guitar-w444758

[muscmp]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Cool story! Is that you next to Joe?

Yep, I'd enjoy seeing gear that's played by a famous guitarist. I'd like to buy something too, as long as its at market value. Joe is a gear nut - he probably has a couple of full warehouses full of gear.

I have his Epiphone Les Paul signature model with the Gibson Burstbuckers. I didn't know who Joe was when I bought it used a couple of years ago but the guitar was a great price, played well, US electronics.

yes, that is me next to joe. he was really a very congenial person-a regular joe! and, dru, i think i read where he has east coast and west coast warehouses, perhaps called nerdville east and west.

here is his new sig model.

https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/epi...lying-v-outfit

[KevWind]

I find a number of aspects of music history interesting and especially anything to with history from the 60's on. Rock & Roll history etc.

Currently watching "Long strange Trip" a documentary about the Greatfull Dead

Here is a video about 6 guitars that Mark Knopfler owned (No change of ownership) per se but interesting One thing I find interesting is how identifiably Knopfler-ish the style is

[M Sarad]

My banjo picker friend bought a nice old Gibson years ago from David Grisman. J Garcia was written in chalk on the case when he got it.

[Eric_M]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Anyone interested in vintage electric guitar provenance? Specifically, guitars played by famous people throughout the years.

For example, the "Kossoff Strat" is a 1957 Fender Strat played by Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. After he died, Dave Murray of Iron Maiden bought it in 1975 (it was around the time he started off with the band). That was Murray's main guitar throughout the 80s and was played on albums and tours. There's also some mystery around the guitar as to whether the body is also a 1957.

Another example is the Peter Green 1959 Gibson Les Paul, "Greeny". It was sold to Gary Moore who played it for years. It was bought a couple of years ago by Metallica's Kirk Hammett for an undisclosed amount but rumors put it around $2M.

Anyone else interested in these stories? Is there a good book out there with this info?

Share your stories.

Can't think of a book out that covers this specifically, but it's a good idea for one.

There's also:

The Fool SG (Clapton's guitar, later owned by Todd Rundgren)

Clapton/Harrison red Les Paul used on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

The Jaco bass (currently owned by Rob Trujillo of Metallica)

Joe Walsh sold Pete Townshend a Gretsch and Jimmy Page a Les Paul

Joe Perry's Les Paul ended up with Slash, who gave it back for Perry's 50th birthday

[LouieAtienza]

How about the '69 Strat the Hendrix burned at Monterey, gave to Frank Zappa, now Dweezil owns it?

The "Greenie Meanie" which was a San Dimas Charvel #3733, owned by Grover Jackson, "loaned" to Steve Vai, who painted it green (was sunburst basswood), deepened the lower cutaway, and shaved the neck down...

I own one Boogie Bodies Tele neck that was supposedly owned by Joe Perry in the Joe Perry Project days in the early 80's. The story was he pawned the guitars off at a music shop in or near Boston (the body was a Charvel "Star" body); the body has disappeared (second owner parted the guitar out) though I saw it floating around on eBay up until about 8-10 years ago; and it's one of a very few Star bodies that have a Tele neck rout. The neck plate has also floated around eBay as well.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

I have no stories to share, but as a former owner of a ‘58 Strat for many years, I’m quite interested in vintage electrics and enjoy reading about their history just for interest sake.

I believe there is a story that EVH's original white/black stripe Frankenstrat was actually a '58 Strat. There is a picture somewhere of Eddie with a black '58 Strat with a 1-hum pickguard somewhere, but I lost all my collected "pics" with my computer crash of '07 LOL.... maybe someone didn't want me to have that ol' evidence...