MusicRadar

View in gallery

7. Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster

A decade after Buddy Holly, Jimi took the Stratocaster on a sexually-charged interstellar voyage that didn't so much redefine the boundaries of the electric guitar as blow them to smithereens.

Hendrix used and abused lots of guitars in his all-too-brief career, but his white 1968 'Woodstock' Strat is the most iconic. Microsoft's Paul Allen is reported to have paid a cool $2 million for the instrument, which now resides in Seattle's EMP Museum.

8. Eddie Van Halen's 'Frankenstein'

For guitarists of a certain age, Van Halen's 1978 eponymous debut album was year zero for rock guitar. EVH set the bar for the lead guitar fireworks that would dominate mainstream rock for the next decade sporting a mongrel, self-assembled guitar with an original Floyd Rose, a Gibson PAF borrowed from an ES-335 and that iconic striped paintjob.

If you can track down one of Fender's 300 incredible Frankenstein replicas issued in 2007, expect to pay upwards of $25,000. Or just make one yourself like Eddie did.

9. Steve Vai's Ibanez Universe

The Ibanez Universe was the first commercially-available modern seven-string electric. Developed in collaboration with Steve Vai, the model went into production in 1990, but demand was low and 1995 saw no new models produced.

1996 was a different story though, and its use by bands like Korn and Fear Factory saw the Universe reintroduced, with the rumbling low B of a seven-string becoming de rigeur for the burgeoning nu-metal scene.

10. Jack White's JB Hutto Montgomery Airline

Although Jack White uses a number of different guitars, his red and white resoglass pawnshop/junkshop prize is the one with which he's most readily identified. In an era in which to many guitarists the blues means thousands of dollars worth of boutique gear and the pursuit of some sort of tonal Holy Grail, White is both a beacon and a conduit.

Through his raw, visceral music it's possible to reconnect with the white knuckle, seat-of-the-pants blues of the likes of Robert Johnson and Son House while simultaneously exploring new themes and sounds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Liked this? Then try:
The 14 most outrageous guitars on the internet
50 guitars to play before you die
The 50 greatest guitar tones of all time

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter
The free MusicRadar newsletter serves up the week's biggest artist and product news stories alongside exclusive tuition and gear reviews. Sign up here!

Follow MusicRadar on Twitter
Get instant updates and bonus content plus chat with the team. Start here!