Clapton had "Blackie", Roy Buchanan had "Nancy", BB King has "Lucille"

[Blazer]

But let's talk about the lesser known but nonetheless important named guitars.

Steve Vai for example has "Evo" which is an early nineties Ibanez JEM prototype guitar with Dimarzio prototype pickups which later became the Vai signature "Evolution" humbucker.

"Evo" has been through several modifications, it had several neck changes, the Floyd Rose has been changed a couple of times (Vai plays his guitars HARD) and the Chrome knob is one of the knobs of Danny Gatton's original tele, Vai got it from Gatton's widow and has since put it on "Evo" as a good luck charm.

Vai also has a back up called "Flo" which looks pretty much the same but actually is a refinished Floral patron Jem, hence the name.

[RodeoTex]

Steve is a great technical player. He once said that the whole vintage guitar thing went completely over his head, he doesn't understand it at all.

[Blazer]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

Steve is a great technical player. He once said that the whole vintage guitar thing went completely over his head, he doesn't understand it at all.

Well he's embraced the new stuff for all that it's worth and it payed off handsomely for him, he doesn't have to worry about taking valuable sixties Fenders or Gibsons on the road, nor does he have to worry about the originality of his guitars, no bull$hit about changing pickups or replacing broken parts. This guitar I posted is a prime example: everything except the body and the original prototype pickups has been changed.

Another good example is David Gilmour's black strat, it has had four necks, numerous pickup changes, it had a Kahler whammy at one point. Like Vai, Gimour was open to new gear if it worked for him, you can also see that in his famous Red strats, which were brand new guitars fitted with EMG pickups, not really a true strat sound and it makes vintage affectino's shudder but it works perfectly for him.

[petebradt]

I have Ol' Yeller

[TeleBrew]

Keith Richards' "Micawber"

[Don Mare]

I have Eric Wilsons main #1 Sublime bass here - the Musicman Sabre Bass that Eric used on all that early Sublime and on the final LP -
Eric knows I think the world of that bass - so he just tossed it too my the other day and said take your time and give it a good once over -

This Bass is very responsible for that HUGE bass sound & that killer bass tone that band had-
I love playing it while I spin their records and match the tones to the record - the bass has reliced naturally and just as much as any 50's Fender I've seen -
this is the 2nd time I've took in in for a complete check up and revamp..
I wish Music Man / Ernie Ball would do Relics - this bass would be a prime candidate!

I'll be right back with pics!

[Jakedog]

I can't think of any famous ones that haven't been hit here (except for Stevie's guitars). But my daughter (now 4) names most of mine. My Seagull (Main live acoustic) is Barney. And she named my custom Carvin "Brownie", because it's just plain brown. Tung oil on Mahogany.

My custom t-style is named Lucy. I was hosting a jam when I first got it, and a regular asked "hey, can I play Lucy?" and pointed to it. I asked him why he called it Lucy, he said it just looked like a Lucy. That was six years ago, and she's been Lucy ever since.

[brokenjoe]

Earl Scruggs '34 Mastertone.
Bill Monroe's F-5 Mandolin.
These guys hung on to their instruments for much longer than any guitar player that I know of -and, they didn't have names!

[castpolymer]

I named my 10 pound Mahogany Tele " Rosie " after the infamous plus - size lady who bedded Bon Scott.

[J-man]

My Jazzmaster is called "Costello". :)

[longbow]

My parts strat is "Large Marge". thanks

PS I call my bagger "Fat Bob"

[woodman]

i built a series of park-bench finish Teles i called Miss Otis (I, II and III), but the rainbow poplar body/purpleheart fretboard one i built last year is simply "the Rainbow."

[wilkat1]

Originally Posted by woodman

i built a series of park-bench finish Teles i called Miss Otis (I, II and III), but the rainbow poplar body/purpleheart fretboard one i built last year is simply "the Rainbow."

I'm guessing they regret they are unable to lunch today?

[Jerolin]

I call my red MIM Telecaster "Maxine" (for whatever reason). I almost named it "Gomer" just for kicks...well...and too many glasses of Absinthe. Gomer is actually a biblical female name, oddly enough.


I thought about calling my Shoreline Gold VM Thinline Telecaster "Goldie Locks", but that somehow seems to easy.

I have two Teisco guitars, but POS1 and POS2 doesn't seem very nice

[stevieboy]

Albert King called his guitar Lucy, but I think, like BB King, it was a name he used for any Flying V he was playing at the time.

If we're talking about specific guitars and not necessarily ones with names, I gotta bring up the two iconic blues teles, Muddy Waters' red hybrid, and Albert Collins'. I do have a live album where Albert seems to refer to his guitar as Lucille, but I'm not sure that's exactly what he says, and I haven't heard him do it anywhere else.

[tazzboy]

Stevie Ray Vaughan Had Number one aka his first wife.

[bosstone]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

Steve is a great technical player. He once said that the whole vintage guitar thing went completely over his head, he doesn't understand it at all.

The guitar sounds great because of his playing abilities, the amplification and processing. I would like to know what it sounds like played straight through a Twin Reverb, with no processing. I kind of doubt that most would consider it to be a real "tone machine".

[J-man]

Originally Posted by bosstone

The guitar sounds great because of his playing abilities, the amplification and processing. I would like to know what it sounds like played straight through a Twin Reverb, with no processing. I kind of doubt that most would consider it to be a real "tone machine".

My friend owns a JEM and it's an excellent guitar - it really does sound every bit as good as you'd expect from a fairly expensive guitar. Every part, while tasteless in appearance, is top notch in terms of quality.

[bosstone]

Originally Posted by J-man

My friend owns a JEM and it's an excellent guitar - it really does sound every bit as good as you'd expect from a fairly expensive guitar. Every part, while tasteless in appearance, is top notch in terms of quality.

That could be but I would have to hear one for myself first. I have never hears a guitar with that type of tremolo bridge that had any real tone...sensitivity and sustain yes, tone, not so far.

[BeardedRainbow]

-Eric Clapton's "The Fool" which inculded Jack Bruce's 6-string bass along with Ginger Baker's drum kit as a collection
-George Harrison's "Rocky"
-Bootsy Collin's "Space Bass"
-Billy Gibbon's "Muddywood" made out of Muddy Water's childhood cabin.
-Brian May's "Red Special"

[Mike Armstrong]

I have my '96 Strat...call her "Moneymaker", cause I've done a thousand gigs with her, and she never lets me down!!!

Mike

[mikewest]

Neil Young has an old blackie too!

[cqmurphy]

I call my Martin 000-15 "Juanita" after the seemingly random reference to a woman of that name in Donavan's "There is a Mountain".

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by BeardedRainbow

-George Harrison's "Rocky"

Harrison also had "Lucy", the red Les Paul that formerly belonged to Rick Derringer and John Sebastian.

[Dave Hopping]

I have "Maynard"--well,two of them.The one on the right is named for the one on the left.

[Derek McNelly]

My Les Paul is named "Lis" (pronounced "Liz") after my friend Elisabeth who helped me pick it out.

My Strat is named "Daphne" after the original finish color.

My P-Bass is "Roxy", because it sounds like a stripper name.

My Tele is yet to get a real solid name yet though. Not 100%, but I'm thinking it's a Sally.

[Chris Clemens]

My 50's see foam Green Mex RI Strat is called "Claudia", at least, that's the gril who autographed her body in the neck pocket...

[badmelonfarmer]

My AV52RI is now named "Sh**y Stick" because some metal head shredder said tele's looked like s*** and he would not touch one with "Sh**y Stick"

It is brown and made of wood.....

Plays like a dream, unfortunately it is my number 1.... it would be a better story if it was my number 2!

Cheers

BMF

[badmelonfarmer]

Oh, and I named my holiday guitar a Little Martin "The Gnome" after my late mother. I used to call her "The Gnome"and she always used to come on holidays with us.

She would have found that hilarious, I even had a plaque made up for the headstock.

Cheers

BMF

[maestrovert]

i swear, one of these days i'm gonna break down and name a guitar....

Hmmmmm.....howzabout:
"Eargeschplitten Loudenboomer" ? *

*with apologies to Mr. Bob Hutton

[squeezebox]

Reverend Gary Davis = Miss Gibson

[David Barnett]

Originally Posted by Dave Hopping

I have "Maynard"--well,two of them.The one on the right is named for the one on the left.

That's a handsome cat.

<-----But then I would say that...

I have two guitars that I chose because they were the same color as my cat Clyde -- a Fender Esquire and a Ric 330, both black with white pickguards -- but I didn't name the guitars.

[Hiker]

My Tele is 'Tilda'

Les Paul - The Log'
BB King - 'Lucille'
Eddie Van Halen - 'Frankenstein'
Bo Diddley - 'Big G'
Willie Nelson - 'Trigger'
SRV had "Number 1" and a '65 Strat was named "Lenny" for his wife, Lenora.

[fordfanjpn]

I have Robben Ford's "Red Lady" from the Tiger Walk tour. And I have a Strat named "Lucy" after my cat. I haven't come up with a name for my RW Tele yet though. All I know is she's flat as a board and easy to play!

Bill

[Yoni]

The only guitar I've named is my Gibson Sonex 180. It's name is charlie after the cousin it belonged to who I inherited it from after his death.

[all_identaties_taken]

Mine all have names, mostly after female singers the Godin is called Lotte after Lotte Lenya (Robert Godin played with Lenya in the 50's, however it might have been the Alto Sax player of the same name), the duo spic is named Patti after Patti Smith (Who plays a black Duo Sonic) and Peppermint Patty my favorite 'Peanuts' character, my telecaster is named after Debbie Harry (it's a Blonde, and I share a birthday with Ms Harry). My Acoustic is named Marcie after the Peanuts character and my bass is named Val after PiST On basest Val Ium.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by Hiker

Les Paul - The Log'

most of Les' recorded output was actually recorded using his infamous "Clunker", which was an Epiphone archtop with removable panels that allowed him to experiment with different P-ups and control configurations:



"The Clunker" was used on all of the Les Paul & Mary Ford recordings too, even after the endorsement deal which resulted in Les' signature model....now known to all and sundry as the Gibson Les Paul..

[Mark Moore]

It's a bass, and it's iconic in its semi-obscurity.

Billy Sheehan's hotrodded Fender P, "The Wife":

http://www.billysheehan.com/gear/instruments_34.html

[JMPRO]

My old Strat got the nick name "The carson guitar". Thats what people started calling it when Bill Carson showed up with it. Later, there were other guitars also called The Carson guitar but his was the first.
JMPRO

[trailboss]

I don't know if he's named it or not, but Gary Rossington has been playing the same Les Paul since the late sixties. I think i read somewhere that it's never even been refretted...had the headstock broken of and reattached once, though.