Guitar Heros that influenced your Electric gear?

[Dru Edwards]

Hey Everyone. Have you every bought any electric guitar gear because your hero used it? That would include guitar, amp, pedal, etc.

What gear did you keep and what did you get rid of, or do not use?

[6L6]

No one influenced my choice of guitar and how to rewire it more than Hank Marvin.

Here he is at work. The guitar is pretty obvious!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdxr...eature=related

[sweiss]

I once bought a used Gibson J160E , partly because the Beatles played them, but mostly because it was the only option for an electrified acoustic guitar at the time.

As I gained a little more experience and became a little more discerning in my taste in guitars, I realized that my Gibson was an ill conceived piece of junk. It didn't sound good as an acoustic, or when amplified.

I traded it for a bass amp and haven't missed it a bit in the 35 years since.

[s2y]

I bought a poorly made GTX Les Paul copy because I liked Slash. Had a good sound extremely high action to compensate for bad fretjob and poorly planed fingerboard.

I once had a Fender Urge bass, which was the Stu Hamm signature. I could never get good action out of it and the pre-amp was very hot sounding.

Other than that, I've done my own thing. I like Jaco, so I got a polyester coated fretless bass, but it's not a Fender and it has Bartolini P/J pickups. I like Larry Carlton's sound and found that a Zendrive does a decent job at getting that particular OD tone. Stuff like that.

I almost got a Neil Schon signature Les Paul because a Les Paul with a Sustainer pickup and a Floyd Rose was basically a dream guitar of mine. It was expensive as hell and Gibson wouldn't even let me pay extra for a quilt top. Before I could even reconsider, the model was discontinued and he went with PRS.

[Steve DeRosa]

My instruments/inspirations in order of purchase (Caution - acoustic content ):

'64 Gretsch Double Annie 6117 - George Harrison (bought this one new, still have it - couldn't afford a Country Gent back in sixth grade )
'70 Aria 12-string - George Harrison (first year of college, couldn't afford a good one)
'71 Gibson B45-12 - Gordon Lightfoot
'73 Martin D-45 - CSNY (got this one right...)
'77 Hagstrom Swede - Larry Coryell
'67 Epiphone Rivoli bass - Chas Chandler/John Stockfish (closest I ever got to his "Rosanna" tone)
'77 Music Man 410-65 amp - Eric Clapton (yeah, EC was using them at that time - used to have full-page ads in Guitar Player with a couple stacks and his '58 Explorer)
'86 Squier Strat - Mark Knopfler (still have it)
'94 Deering Boston tenor banjo - Chuck Romanoff (still have it)

- and a host of others over the years, more genre than name-specific...

[Tony Done]

Ry Cooder. He was very open-minded about his choice of gear, and I have tried to be the same. Apart from that, I've mostly been anti-hero. OTOH, if I knew how Sonny Landreth got this sound, I might try to emulate it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUHyNky8Q9s

[pitner]

I use a Guytron amp cause of Jon Herington.

[terrapin]

Players who have influenced my choice of gear:

Mike Campbell (Tom Petty)
Neil Cassals (Ryan Adams)
David Holt (Storyville)
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Eric Johnson

Guitars and amps have been pretty simple. Strats or Teles thru either an AC15 or small Fender Blackface. Now pedals are a totally different story......have been through ALOT!

[Dru Edwards]

I bought my DiMarzio Super distortions and Hot Rails pickups because of Iron Maiden.

[zabdart]

Michael Bloomfield... that'll tell you how OLD I am.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by zabdart

Michael Bloomfield... that'll tell you how OLD I am.

Fellow geezer here. I bought my Rickenbacker 12-string because of George Harrison. In fact, the Beatles are pretty much responsible for my Rickenbacker infatuation, and the reason I will one day own another Gretsch.

[TjthePhD]

In high school, I bought an Epiphone Sheraton (akin to an ES-335) because of Steve Howe and Justin Hayward, among others. Howe was playing a variation of an ES-335 in Asia at the time, and Hayward always played one.

[BTF]

My guitars and rig were heavily influenced by my Sith Lords, David Gilmour and Eddie Hazel. Hazel had more influence on my effects, Gilmour on my overall rig.

[Staredge]

Jerry Garcia was the biggest reason I started messing with guitars, years ago. My first guitar was an Epi SG because he played an SG for a short period of time, and it was the closest I figured I could get to something that looked like his Irwins (Yeah, it was a stretch). When I got back into it years later, I ended up with a Strat, as I am huge into instro surf. The Strat wasn't because of Dick Dale......I just liked them and they were easier (and cheaper) to get than a Jazz/Jag.

My P-Bass is purely for tone. I had a Hofner Icon, which was because of McCartney. Had to sell it, but I'll have another someday.

[Mooh]

Telecasters, because of Rory Gallagher, Roy Buchanan, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Danny Gatton.

Stratocasters, because of Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler.

Resonators, because of Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Mark Knopfler.

Mandolin, because of Rory Gallagher, David Grisman, Simon Mayor.