Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat Artist

I was surprised to discover that there was quite a bit of the original color – and by that, I mean the red/brown and yellow of the burst. I wasn’t going to get away with just stripping off rory gallagher guitar backing
 paint, I was going to have to burst areas after I’d stripped them. Using Zip Strip, I began my attempt to remove the amazingly heavy and durable epoxy(?) finish from the body. It soaked for two days before the paint would even do anything more than slightly etch. This Fender finish is good stuff! Pity. Although the Strat was left abandoned in a rainy ditch for days after being stolen from the back of a tour van in Dublin, this is not believed to have caused any ill effect. All of the wear was caused by Rory's playing, not misuse. A borrowed Telecaster was also stolen at the same time but never recovered. When the Strat was recovered after two weeks, Gallagher swore he would never sell it or paint it after that.

Rory Gallagher's 1961 Fender Stratocaster

But now you will note from the pictures above that the neck was quite light in color and I am going rory gallagher guitar amp
 for the aged and sweated-on look of a vintage piece. Enter Guitar Re-Ranch from Texas. They offer vintage refinishing supplies and are a great website for information as well as product. Their instructions for a vintage amber Fender neck refinish seemed well thought out and logical, so I took a gamble and ordered what I needed. Fender Custom Shop designers met Donal Gallagher, brother of the late, great Rory Gallagher, in 1997 at Los Angeles International Airport and received a gig bag holding one of the most coveted guitars of all time-Rory's worn-to-the-wood 1961 Stratocaster guitar. Fender initially built 40 "clones" for the European market, and was subsequently besieged with requests for more. I received a direct request for this in the mail and I'm happy to share it here, after all there's never too much Rory, at least for me.

Bonamassa Borrows Legendary Stratocaster

"Sandi said to me one day, 'I'm going to give you your birthday present and your Christmas present all in one,' says Bonamassa. "So I'm thinking, OK, this is going to be pretty rory gallagher do you read me guitar tab
 good, right? I had no idea that she would this off! She told me that she just spoke to Donal, and he was going to come to my London show…with the guitar! She said that if I wanted to play it, Donal would be happy to lend it to me. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?!'" I traced the patterns of paint from a photo of Rory circa 1974. To the right, you’ll see the photo that for me is the benchmark. I know that this is because I saw Rory in late ’73 – November 1973 to be more precise at New York’s Felt Forum and this is how I remember him and his guitar. I don’t know who took this photo as someone sent it to me as a JPEG, but it is a great shot.

Rory Gallagher Guitar

The Good... And really lots of it, I thought the Fender Custom shop payed alot of attention to detail with screw holes in the headstock, the different dot inlay, the different low E tuning rory gallagher slide guitar youtube
 peg The guitar was set up right, played great was a great neck, nice and chunky and nice wear on the backSide, I found the strat to be on the heavier side which wasn't much of a problem- nice sustain, the tone was great, it had a 3 way switch which I am comfortable with because my '57 The next thing that happened was the cops found that it had been abandoned. We were very grateful. But, at the same time, when they aired the recovery on “Gardia Patrol,” the cop said, “The thief was probably doing the neighbors a favour!” The corny comment made Rory cringe. I remember screaming at the television, “If you only knew how good this guitar player is!” But, Gardia Patrol was instrumental in getting it back to him.”

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster

It’s a ‘61 model and it has a very flat kind of neck. Although they were making the bodies out of Alder rory gallagher crest of a wave guitar tab
 and Ash, somebody said mine is actually Maple - which is really a one off! It was in good condition when I bought it, but it’s got so battered now it’s got a kind of tattoo quality about it.Sadly, they stole the Tele? as well. That whole week felt like someone we knew had been kidnapped. It was that profound! Rory was so depressed. And, as family, you’d take on the depression as well.” Rory used this Stratocaster for most of his life, throughout thousands of shows, touring around the world and recording his many albums. At one point it was stolen and recovered from a ditch, having been exposed to the elements for a few days. That is a testament to Leo Fender for building a guitar that can survive just about any abuse heaped upon it.

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Signature Electric

I got the Strat back, though. It was found over a ditch, with a few extra scratches from the brambles and things. It had been out in the rain, as well. So I swore I’d never sell rory gallagher i wonder who guitar tabs
 it or paint it after that. I had to borrow a guitar to get me through that fortnight. I had given of hope in getting it back, and I really couldn’t afford another Strat at that time. I was playing a Burns which a roadie had leant me. But that’s the way it goes. But the Strat is playing well. Obviously, machine heads, frets, pots, and things have been changed over the years, but it’s still the same. Donal recalls when Rory’s Strat was stolen in 1961 from the back of the tour van:“I remember the incident happening in Dublin. Just the sheer horror of it! What made it doubly bad is that a friend of Rory’s in York lent Rory his Telecaster? for an upcoming gig in Dublin. To play in Dublin was the next big step for Rory at the time, so he borrowed this Tele so he could play slide.

Interview: Joe Bonamassa on playing Rory Gallagher's 1961

There’s now a theory that the less paint or varnish on a guitar, acoustic or electric, the better. The wood breathes more. But it’s all psychological. I just like the sound of it. ‘It’s also a good luck thing. It was stolen one time and it came back It’s kind rory gallagher guitar wiring
 of a lucky charm; the guitar is a part of me. BB King might have several Lucilles, but I’ve only got the one Strat. I don’t even call it a woman’s name. It’s what it is. I still play it every day, I just love playing it.” I believe that Rory’s guitar was rewired so that one tone control rolled off the higher frequencies on all three pickups (unlike the stock set-up where neck and middle have an independent tone control each, the bridge pickup is only controlled by the volume control.) I’ve been playing Strats for more years than I will admit to here and am used to the stock set-up, so that’s what I used on my Rory Strat.

1961 Stratocaster - Instrument Archive

I like the maple neck. Like on the earlier guitars, they’re probably a bit more crisp, but there's a warmth to this, a mellowness because of the rosewood neck. This is the rory gallagher ultimate guitar
 best, it's my life, this is my best friend. It's almost like knowing its weak spots are strong spots. I don’t like to get sentimental about these things, but when you spend thirty years of your life with the same instrument it's like a walking memory bank of your life there in your arms." The event happened as a birthday gift to Bonamassa courtesy of his girlfriend Sandi Thom, "Sandi said to me one day, 'I'm going to give you your birthday present and your Christmas present all in one,' says Bonamassa. "So I'm thinking, OK, this is going to be pretty good, right? I had no idea that she would this off! She told me that she just spoke to Donal, and he was going to come to my London show…with the guitar! She said that if I wanted to play it, Donal would be happy to lend it to me. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?!'"

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute

I know they have said Rory's sweat was very acidic and wore the paint away smoothly but I've seen pictures and it looked like quite a bit of Knicks in the paint job, My strat has wear above the pickguard from my strumming patterns and is rory gallagher tribute guitar
 wearing away but it's not nearly as smooth as the CS relicing, it's more abrasive and natural What was left of the paint just seemed to be too clean, it didnt look like real wear, and for all the painstaking details all over the rest of the guitar and $4,400 that really turned me off, Commented Donal: "The Facelift is a true image replication of Rory's prized instrument. Its weathered appearance was gained from blood, sweat, and tears during his constant touring of the globe. In fact, my brother was alarmed when first the paintwork on his guitar began to peel. He was at a loss as what to do, but then they didn't have Facelifts!"

Johnny Marr Playing Rory Gallagher's Strat

“Early on, I got the Stratocaster - in fact it was the first one I ever saw. It’s supposed to have been the first Strat brought into Ireland. The guy who had it before me was in a show band and he ordered a red one. They actually sent a sunburst rory gallagher guitar tricks
 so he decided to wait for a red one to arrive, and I had the sunburst - it was luxury! It was easy to play from the start and I’ve kept it ever since - in fact it’s getting better! Here’s a close-up of the Eagle’s Profile. There are two small chips below the Eagle, you can see them in the masking tape in the picture to the left. The back was outlines from a few incomplete photos and a brief instant that I caught with the digital camera by snapping the TV screen during the Irish Tour ’74 video. Are you beginning to see that this was a labor of love? Same sequence. Here’s the final back, there was some bleed of the red/brown through the masking tape. This easily sands out with 320 grit.

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat Artist

I was surprised to discover that there was quite a bit of the original color – and by that, I mean the red/brown guitar rory gallagher
 and yellow of the burst. I wasn’t going to get away with just stripping off paint, I was going to have to burst areas after I’d stripped them. Using Zip Strip, I began my attempt to remove the amazingly heavy and durable epoxy(?) finish from the body. It soaked for two days before the paint would even do anything more than slightly etch. This Fender finish is good stuff! Pity. Although the Strat was left abandoned in a rainy ditch for days after being stolen from the back of a tour van in Dublin, this is not believed to have caused any ill effect. All of the wear was caused by Rory's playing, not misuse. A borrowed Telecaster was also stolen at the same time but never recovered. When the Strat was recovered after two weeks, Gallagher swore he would never sell it or paint it after that.

Rory Gallagher's 1961 Fender Stratocaster

But now you will note from the pictures above that the neck was quite light in color and I am going for the aged and sweated-on look of a vintage piece. Enter Guitar Re-Ranch from Texas. They offer vintage refinishing supplies and rory gallagher strat pickups
 are a great website for information as well as product. Their instructions for a vintage amber Fender neck refinish seemed well thought out and logical, so I took a gamble and ordered what I needed. Fender Custom Shop designers met Donal Gallagher, brother of the late, great Rory Gallagher, in 1997 at Los Angeles International Airport and received a gig bag holding one of the most coveted guitars of all time-Rory's worn-to-the-wood 1961 Stratocaster guitar. Fender initially built 40 "clones" for the European market, and was subsequently besieged with requests for more. I received a direct request for this in the mail and I'm happy to share it here, after all there's never too much Rory, at least for me.

Bonamassa Borrows Legendary Stratocaster

"Sandi said to me one day, 'I'm going to give you your birthday present and your Christmas present rory gallagher strat review
 all in one,' says Bonamassa. "So I'm thinking, OK, this is going to be pretty good, right? I had no idea that she would this off! She told me that she just spoke to Donal, and he was going to come to my London show…with the guitar! She said that if I wanted to play it, Donal would be happy to lend it to me. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?!'" I traced the patterns of paint from a photo of Rory circa 1974. To the right, you’ll see the photo that for me is the benchmark. I know that this is because I saw Rory in late ’73 – November 1973 to be more precise at New York’s Felt Forum and this is how I remember him and his guitar. I don’t know who took this photo as someone sent it to me as a JPEG, but it is a great shot.

Rory Gallagher Guitar

The Good... And really lots of it, I thought the Fender Custom shop payed alot of attention to detail rory gallagher tribute stratocaster
 with screw holes in the headstock, the different dot inlay, the different low E tuning peg The guitar was set up right, played great was a great neck, nice and chunky and nice wear on the backSide, I found the strat to be on the heavier side which wasn't much of a problem- nice sustain, the tone was great, it had a 3 way switch which I am comfortable with because my '57 The next thing that happened was the cops found that it had been abandoned. We were very grateful. But, at the same time, when they aired the recovery on “Gardia Patrol,” the cop said, “The thief was probably doing the neighbors a favour!” The corny comment made Rory cringe. I remember screaming at the television, “If you only knew how good this guitar player is!” But, Gardia Patrol was instrumental in getting it back to him.”

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute Stratocaster

It’s a ‘61 model and it has a very flat kind of neck. Although they were making the bodies out of Alder rory gallagher amps
 and Ash, somebody said mine is actually Maple - which is really a one off! It was in good condition when I bought it, but it’s got so battered now it’s got a kind of tattoo quality about it.Sadly, they stole the Tele? as well. That whole week felt like someone we knew had been kidnapped. It was that profound! Rory was so depressed. And, as family, you’d take on the depression as well.” Rory used this Stratocaster for most of his life, throughout thousands of shows, touring around the world and recording his many albums. At one point it was stolen and recovered from a ditch, having been exposed to the elements for a few days. That is a testament to Leo Fender for building a guitar that can survive just about any abuse heaped upon it.

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Signature Electric

I got the Strat back, though. It was found over a ditch, with a few extra scratches from the brambles and things. It had been out in the rain, as well. So I swore I’d never sell it or paint it after that. I had to borrow a guitar to get me through that rory gallagher guitar for sale
 fortnight. I had given of hope in getting it back, and I really couldn’t afford another Strat at that time. I was playing a Burns which a roadie had leant me. But that’s the way it goes. But the Strat is playing well. Obviously, machine heads, frets, pots, and things have been changed over the years, but it’s still the same. Donal recalls when Rory’s Strat was stolen in 1961 from the back of the tour van:“I remember the incident happening in Dublin. Just the sheer horror of it! What made it doubly bad is that a friend of Rory’s in York lent Rory his Telecaster? for an upcoming gig in Dublin. To play in Dublin was the next big step for Rory at the time, so he borrowed this Tele so he could play slide.

Interview: Joe Bonamassa on playing Rory Gallagher's 1961

There’s now a theory that the less paint or varnish on a guitar, acoustic or electric, the better. The wood breathes more. But it’s all psychological. I just like the sound of it. ‘It’s also a good luck thing. It was stolen one time and it came back It’s kind of rory gallagher guitar lesson
 a lucky charm; the guitar is a part of me. BB King might have several Lucilles, but I’ve only got the one Strat. I don’t even call it a woman’s name. It’s what it is. I still play it every day, I just love playing it.” I believe that Rory’s guitar was rewired so that one tone control rolled off the higher frequencies on all three pickups (unlike the stock set-up where neck and middle have an independent tone control each, the bridge pickup is only controlled by the volume control.) I’ve been playing Strats for more years than I will admit to here and am used to the stock set-up, so that’s what I used on my Rory Strat.

1961 Stratocaster - Instrument Archive

I like the maple neck. Like on the earlier guitars, they’re probably a bit more crisp, but there's a warmth to this, a mellowness because of the rosewood neck. This is the rory strat
 best, it's my life, this is my best friend. It's almost like knowing its weak spots are strong spots. I don’t like to get sentimental about these things, but when you spend thirty years of your life with the same instrument it's like a walking memory bank of your life there in your arms." The event happened as a birthday gift to Bonamassa courtesy of his girlfriend Sandi Thom, "Sandi said to me one day, 'I'm going to give you your birthday present and your Christmas present all in one,' says Bonamassa. "So I'm thinking, OK, this is going to be pretty good, right? I had no idea that she would this off! She told me that she just spoke to Donal, and he was going to come to my London show…with the guitar! She said that if I wanted to play it, Donal would be happy to lend it to me. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?!'"

Fender Custom Shop Rory Gallagher Tribute

I know they have said Rory's sweat was very acidic and wore the paint away smoothly but I've seen pictures and it looked like quite a bit of Knicks in the paint job, My strat has wear above the pickguard from my strumming patterns and is rory gallagher gitarre
 wearing away but it's not nearly as smooth as the CS relicing, it's more abrasive and natural What was left of the paint just seemed to be too clean, it didnt look like real wear, and for all the painstaking details all over the rest of the guitar and $4,400 that really turned me off, Commented Donal: "The Facelift is a true image replication of Rory's prized instrument. Its weathered appearance was gained from blood, sweat, and tears during his constant touring of the globe. In fact, my brother was alarmed when first the paintwork on his guitar began to peel. He was at a loss as what to do, but then they didn't have Facelifts!"

Johnny Marr Playing Rory Gallagher's Strat

“Early on, I got the Stratocaster - in fact it was the first one I ever saw. It’s supposed to have been the first Strat brought into Ireland. The guy who had it before me was in a show band and he ordered a red one. They actually sent a sunburst fender rory gallagher strat
 so he decided to wait for a red one to arrive, and I had the sunburst - it was luxury! It was easy to play from the start and I’ve kept it ever since - in fact it’s getting better! Here’s a close-up of the Eagle’s Profile. There are two small chips below the Eagle, you can see them in the masking tape in the picture to the left. The back was outlines from a few incomplete photos and a brief instant that I caught with the digital camera by snapping the TV screen during the Irish Tour ’74 video. Are you beginning to see that this was a labor of love? Same sequence. Here’s the final back, there was some bleed of the red/brown through the masking tape. This easily sands out with 320 grit.

ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar

The single cut body is bound with a double black line around its circumference that adds an extra level of class to the design. It’s certainly a memorable look, although I can see a number of buyers being put off by the use of the james hetfield iron cross youtube
 Iron Cross. The fretboard features some very well executed flag inlays that culminate in a further Iron Cross design across the 11th, 12th and 13th frets. This is an amazing guitar. It was perfectly set-up right out of the box. I swung by Guitar Center to make sure and there were no adjustments to be made. The neck is fast, smooth and plays really well. I truly noticed a difference in my playing almost immediately. It just oozes quality in construction and design. The colors are crisp and bright, I was blown away with how gorgeous it is in person, well-packaged for shipping and not a single blemish.

ESP/LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross Guitar

I'm loving the JH signature EMG pickups, you can hear the difference in playing over "regular old" active pickups. The tone is more percussive but also rich sounding. The guitar is lighter than I thought it would be so it's very comfortable to stand james hetfield iron cross video
 and play for long periods. Locking turners are a breeze. This guitar has definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm in love. As such, playability is very good indeed with a fast thin, U-shaped neck and XJ frets allowing for easy and effortless technique application, perfect for power chords or lead work across the whole range of the neck. Obviously, upper fret access isn’t up there with the double cut KH-WZ but reaching the 22nd fret isn’t an issue and the addition of the belly cut on the back of the body allows for more comfortable playing experiences than with a traditional LP-style guitar.

James Hetfield ESP LTD Iron Cross Guitar

The current James Hetfield Signature model is the Iron Cross - shown here in white with black trim and graphics. This is a single cut-away model that has been crafted using a solid Mahogany body with a Maple top to enhance both tone and sustain and is matched to a Mahogany neck with an elegant james hetfield iron cross value
 Ebony fretboard that has ESP's "Waving Flag" fret inserts along with an Iron Cross design at the 12th fret. ESP, James Hetfield and zZounds thank you for such an awesome guitar! I've been playing 22 years and this is by far one of the best sounding guitars I have played. If you don't have this in your collection you are missing out, especially if you are a big Metallica fan. Just do it - you won't be disappointed. ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross SW Signature Solidbody Electric Guitar at a Glance:Audacious tonal tenacity from EMG JH signature humbucking pickups Designed for furious fretwork

ESP LTD Iron Cross Electric Guitar in Snow White

A metal player's delight with a mahogany body, maple top, fast neck and EMG active pickups. The ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar is designed to the meet the performance demands of its namesake. It features a mahogany body with a maple top, distinctive graphics and set-neck james hetfield iron cross usa
 construction. Hardware on the Iron Cross James Hetfield model is finished in Black and consists of a traditional, adjustable Tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece whilst at the headstock you'll find Sperzel locking machine heads plus a "JH" insignia. The Snow White finish is contrasted by the Black Iron Cross and stripes graphics and this fine instrument also includes a hard shell guitar case. Distinct graphics and signature James Hetfield tone make the Iron Cross guitar an incredible instrument! ESP LTD loads the guitar with a set of EMG JH Signature active pickups which are clean and clear as well as aggressive and powerful when you need them to be. The eye catching white finish with black stripe and Iron Cross graphic and 12th fret inlay truly set this guitar apart!

ESP/LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross Guitar

The guitar construction is pretty standard for the Metal and Rock genre with a solid alder white iron cross guitar
 body, 25.5” scale maple neck, rosewood fingerboard and bolt-on neck joint. The neck features a 'Thin U' shape contour, 24 extra jumbo frets, Floyd Rose bridge, locking nut and LTD tuners. The pickups are active EMGs, with an EMG60 in the neck and an EMG81 at the bridge, matched with a 3-way switch and standard volume and tone controls. The neck features very cool and intricate spider inlays with a large bat covering the 10th to 13th frets. James Hetfield is the vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter in Metallica, the biggest heavy metal band of all time. Spanning three decades, nine studio albums, and countless world tours, Metallica has spread their unique form of thrash metal to all corners of the globe. Known for his mighty right hand and precise rhythmic execution, James’s signature guitars were built to his exact specifications in playability and durability.

James Hetfield ESP LTD Iron Cross Guitar

I've tested - probably - I think we went through about 30 different kinds of poles, different kinds of windings, different kinds of metals. I wanted a traditional look, but also have an active pickup. So combining passive and active together - smooth distortion, but with some aggressive mids that some of the passive james hetfield iron cross white
 pickups have. They’re a little more focused in the mids and there they're pushy, which I like. But the warmness, and the wideness of the active pickup. So combining those two together was the challenge. The neck is supremely comfortable throughout its range and the XJ frets make for an easy and tension free playing experience that allows maximum efficiency of your technique whilst retaining a good tone. The KH-WZ body shape is a classic Kirk Hammett design and is very comfortable for extended playing sessions whether stood up or sat down. The deep cutaways make upper fret access a breeze so extended excursions up at the 24th fret feel accessible and controlled for the left hand.

ESP LTD Iron Cross Electric Guitar in Snow White

You can't deny the sweet looks and epic tone of the ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross SW signature guitar! This axe captures the angst of Metallica's legendary frontman, with Iron Cross artwork and custom inlays. And it's got the sound gibson les paul iron cross
 to match the looks, with a hot pair of EMG JH humbuckers that are ready to make your amplifier roar. We've helped rock guitarists achieve aggressive tones here at Sweetwater for decades, and we can easily say the ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross SW signature guitar is primed for impressive performance. Electric Sound Products, better know to guitarists as ESP, started humbly enough in Tokyo, Japan in 1975. The company rose on its reputation for high-quality, custom-made replacement guitar parts and components, but it didn’t take long for ESP to start crafting their own instruments. Hetfield has been a major endorser of ESP Guitars since the 1980s, and is best known for playing custom-made Explorer-style guitars with an EMG 81/EMG 60 set for pickups.

ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross SW

The single cut body is bound with a double black line around its circumference that james hetfield white iron cross
 adds an extra level of class to the design. It’s certainly a memorable look, although I can see a number of buyers being put off by the use of the Iron Cross. The fretboard features some very well executed flag inlays that culminate in a further Iron Cross design across the 11th, 12th and 13th frets. This is an amazing guitar. It was perfectly set-up right out of the box. I swung by Guitar Center to make sure and there were no adjustments to be made. The neck is fast, smooth and plays really well. I truly noticed a difference in my playing almost immediately. It just oozes quality in construction and design. The colors are crisp and bright, I was blown away with how gorgeous it is in person, well-packaged for shipping and not a single blemish.

ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar

I'm loving the JH signature EMG pickups, you can hear the difference in playing over "regular old" active pickups. The tone is more percussive but also rich sounding. The guitar is lighter than I thought it would be so it's very comfortable to stand ltd james hetfield iron cross
 and play for long periods. Locking turners are a breeze. This guitar has definitely exceeded my expectations. I'm in love. As such, playability is very good indeed with a fast thin, U-shaped neck and XJ frets allowing for easy and effortless technique application, perfect for power chords or lead work across the whole range of the neck. Obviously, upper fret access isn’t up there with the double cut KH-WZ but reaching the 22nd fret isn’t an issue and the addition of the belly cut on the back of the body allows for more comfortable playing experiences than with a traditional LP-style guitar.

ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar

The current James Hetfield Signature model is the Iron Cross - shown here in white with black trim and graphics. This is a single cut-away model that has been crafted using a solid Mahogany body with a Maple top to enhance both tone and sustain and is matched to a Mahogany neck with an elegant Ebony ltd iron cross white
 fretboard that has ESP's "Waving Flag" fret inserts along with an Iron Cross design at the 12th fret. ESP, James Hetfield and zZounds thank you for such an awesome guitar! I've been playing 22 years and this is by far one of the best sounding guitars I have played. If you don't have this in your collection you are missing out, especially if you are a big Metallica fan. Just do it - you won't be disappointed. ESP LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross SW Signature Solidbody Electric Guitar at a Glance:Audacious tonal tenacity from EMG JH signature humbucking pickups Designed for furious fretwork

ESP/LTD James Hetfield Iron Cross Guitar

A metal player's delight with a mahogany body, maple top, fast neck and EMG active pickups. The ESP LTD James Hetfield Signature Iron Cross Electric Guitar is designed to the meet the performance demands of its namesake. It features a mahogany body with a maple top, distinctive graphics and set-neck iron cross james hetfield
 construction. Hardware on the Iron Cross James Hetfield model is finished in Black and consists of a traditional, adjustable Tune-o-matic bridge and stop bar tailpiece whilst at the headstock you'll find Sperzel locking machine heads plus a "JH" insignia. The Snow White finish is contrasted by the Black Iron Cross and stripes graphics and this fine instrument also includes a hard shell guitar case. Distinct graphics and signature James Hetfield tone make the Iron Cross guitar an incredible instrument! ESP LTD loads the guitar with a set of EMG JH Signature active pickups which are clean and clear as well as aggressive and powerful when you need them to be. The eye catching white finish with black stripe and Iron Cross graphic and 12th fret inlay truly set this guitar apart!

Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborated with Fender to produce a signature Stratocaster guitar

In any case, “Number One” was far from original, and if not for its SRV associations would have become the type of vintage guitar that collector’s turn their noses up at. Vaughan preferred Dunlop jumbo frets on his guitars, and this Strat had been refretted with them so many times (due to the extreme fender srv tribute guitar
 use it experienced) that the upper reaches of the fingerboard were migrating from the original 7 1/4” to a flatter 9” radius (as measured and reported by luthier and writer Dan Erlewine in The Guitar Player Repair Guide). I figured out the string breaking problem. He was always breaking strings and I figured that one out and I figured out a thing for it that he didn't break strings for 15 shows in a row. And if he had done it just for two shows in a row I'd have been just ecstatic. It turned out that the record was 15 and I was very impressed. So I knew that the things I was doing were working.

Many Fender SRV Guitar Find our Lowest Possible Price!

Stevie Ray Vaughan is a fearsome texas blues player. He’s one of those players who’s got the the full spectrum covered. He can effortlessly fly around the fretboard at a ferocious pace whilst also having the ability to evoke the gamut of moods with just a few well placed, and struck, notes. He’s comfortable exploring fender srv setup
 all dynamic ranges and can smoothly, and subtly, transition from delicate but intricate playing, straight into intense attack-mode! Does the guitar’s precise vintage matter? Not a whole lot. Regardless of SRV’s connection a 1959 Stratocaster retains a certain collector’s appeal because it demarks the first year of the rosewood fingerboard, but so-called “slab” rosewood fingerboards (thicker boards, with a flat bottom, rather than the thinner “veneer” boards that followed) were still being used into 1962 — and Fender neck profiles varied quite a bit anyway — so Strats from 1959 and 1962 might not be radically different, from the average player’s perspective.

Search for SRV Guitars Look Up Quick Results Now!

The guitar remained stock until 1986, when a left-handed neck was installed and "SRV" stickers were applied to the pickguard. In 1989, the neck on "Number One" was unable to withstand more re-fret jobs, replacing it with the original fender srv replica guitar
 neck from "Red." The next year, following a concert at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, a stanchion fell onto Vaughan's rack of guitars, splitting the neck from "Red" that was installed on "Number One." The neck was replaced the next night. Our Attention to detail was always to the best of of any replica maker. Fender recognized this, and requested that we stop making guitars from parts and keep them valid by using Fender Donor guitars. We can purchase one to your specifications and budget, or you can supply one. The original Fender Headstock Decal and Serial Number must Remain. Your Fender Warranty will be Void due to the extreme modifications.

Huge selection of SRV Guitars

A REVELATOR SuperKing model in three tone Sunburst based on Stevie Ray Vaughan's legendary Stratocaster. It's an understatement to say that no-one could ever REALLY fender srv quotes
 recreate what Stevie's iconic Strat looks & feels like. What I endeavored to do with this build was to pay tribute to his world famous Strat by trying to get the vibe of the look of the piece, the weathered feel, & the Tone. While not a ding for ding replica I believe I did get close to representing the aura of SRV's Vintage Strat. "Red", one of his other guitars, originally had a right-handed neck, but switched over to a left-handed neck in 1986. Around 1990, because "Number One" was having neck troubles, he took the original neck from "Scotch" and put it on "Number One" and took the original neck from "Red" and put it on "Scotch", leaving the left-handed neck on "Red".Stevie usually used this guitar on "Leave My Girl Alone", and sometimes "Superstition".

Stevie Ray Vaughan Day By Day

This guitar features a two-piece maple body and a "neck-through body" design. It also originally had EMG preamped pickups, but Vaughan didn't like the pickups in it. His next music video was about to be made, which was "Couldn't Stand fender srv qwik
 the Weather", and didn't want to get Number One wet during ?filming, so he used the Hamiltone for filming. The EMG pickups and Gibson style amber top hat knobs were changed in June 1984. Lenny is a 1963 or 1964 Stratocaster, bought for Vaughan by his wife, Lenora, because he didn't have the money to buy it. Originally 3-tone sunburst with a rosewood neck, it was later stripped down to a dark natural finish and re-fitted with a mid-'50s-style maple neck reportedly given to him by Billy Gibbons. Behind the bridge, on the lower bout of the guitar body is a unique inlay, thought to be originally from an early 1900s mandolin.

Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tech from 1985 until the beloved bluesman

Yellow was a 1959 Stratocaster formerly owned by Vanilla Fudge's lead guitarist, Vince Martell, who sold it to Charley Wirz. The body was hollowed out to make room for "a shitload of humbuckers," but Wirz fashioned a new pickguard fender srv quick
 in which he placed a single Fender Strat pickup in the neck position and painted the body yellow. Wirz gave the guitar to Vaughan in 1983 or 1984; it is the guitar with the letters "SRV" on the pickguard under the string. I can't play like Stevie but the tone I got with these pickups and body mated together with this neck absolutely KILLED. In the case of a guitar of the stature of Stevie Ray Vaughan's number one Stratocaster, that's really all one can aspire to. This was a labor of love and respect. So many have waxed eloquent about Stevie's talent but I have to say I was blown away a-fresh as I relistened during this build. No matter how many times I listen to him he never disappoints. Live at the El Mocambo 1983 was just unreal..........

Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborated with Fender to produce a signature Stratocaster

Number One is a “ragged American Stratocaster with 1959 pickups, a ’62 neck, and a ’63 body, reveals upon inspection a brutally worn finish, upside-down tremolo bar, cigarette-burnt headstock”. Vaughan acquired this instrument in 1974 from Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music. When Vaughan took possession fender srv qwiklinx
 of Number One, it was already well worn. The Fender Custom Shop has produced a limited-edition run of Lenny replicas since December 12, 2007, and they are sold by the Guitar Center for $17,000. The guitar is mainly used for "Lenny". In 2004, Lenny was put up for auction and was sold to Guitar Center for $623,500 What is not as well known is that its previous owner was was another celebrated Texas musician,Christopher Cross. Hennig tells quite a story. As I’ve heard the tale, Cross wanted something “beefier” and traded the Stratocaster for a Les Paul. Stevie had already had a loaner guitar from Hennig, who was pleased to trade it for Cross’ guitar since it was in much better condition.

It's definitely true that Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of my all-time favorite guitarists

The story begins a few years earlier, when Stevie and Lenora first met at a Halloween party at east Austin nightspot La Cucaracha, where he was playing (“Where else are you gonna meet a musician?” Lenora is fond of saying). When she fender srv pics
 saw him again a couple years later at the Rome Inn with his band, Triple Threat, she was moved by his musical power onstage and his charmingly unassuming demeanor offstage. As far as guitars go, only a handful are as iconic (and synonymous of their players) as Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Number One guitar. A centerpiece of the Texas State History Museum’s Texas Music Roadtrip, this is the first time this instrument has been seen by the public since Stevie Ray’s death in 1990. Vaughan made two appearances with “the Wife” on Austin City Limits: the first time in 1983 and again in 1989.

equipment played by musician Stevie Ray Vaughan

And the reason I came up with that gauge is because he started to tear his fingers up quite a bit using heavier gauge strings, and I said to him, Stevie, you're just gonna fender srv parts
 have to use a different set to keep your hands. So we finally settled on 11, 15, 19, 28, 38, 58. And that became the standard when his sets came out. His custom sets. You can buy custom sets from people, not that they were sold in stores as custom. I think maybe today there's a bunch of string manufacturers that sell that gauge. Soon after, Vaughan received a new Charvel? guitar neck as a gift from his friend and ZZ Top guitarist Billy F Gibbons. Vaughan installed the neck (with a maple fingerboard) on “Lenny”, at which time he also etched his name into the guitar’s neck plate as a point of pride. Fame began knocking loudly on Vaughan’s door. He first drew worldwide recognition by playing with David Bowie on his chart-topping 1983 comeback Let’s Dance; then by not playing with David Bowie. Vaughan famously declined to tour with Bowie in favor of releasing the debut album he’d recorded in Los Angeles in 1982 with his powerful trio, Double Trouble.

Vaughan owned and used a variety of guitars during his caree

SRV played several guitars throughout his career, but far and away his favorite and the most played was the one he called “Number One,” which was purchased in the mid 1970s at Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music Store in Austin, Texas. This fender srv pickguard
 guitar is often described as being a 1959 Fender Stratocaster with a slab rosewood fingerboard, a reference that has helped to give Strats of this vintage an extra cache on the collector’s market. Martinez: No, it was all the same. He still had high action, he played in E-flat, we tuned E-flat and the action was still high. But nothing changed other than that. The tone was always you know, it's not just the strings and the rig, it was all 100% in his hands, so it didn't change. Breaking strings became a big part of that, but once I figured that out, then everything was okay.

Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborated with Fender to produce a signature Stratocaster guitar

Scotch is a 1961 Fender Stratocaster used by Vaughan for the last 5 years of his life. He acquired this guitar in the fall of 1985, and it is said to have been bought in either Baltimore or "The Boathouse" in Norfolk, Virginia. It was to be a prize at one of Stevie's shows, but he bought the guitar instead and gave fender srv pickguard replacement
 away another one of his guitars. As with most legendary players, the ingredients of SRV’s sound can be broken down into three categories: guitars, amps, and pedals. In his case, this represents a descending order of the intensity with which his gear is analyzed. Let’s take one chunk at a time, analyze some of the little myths that surround them, and see where it gets us. "Lenny" replica: The Fender Custom Shop made 235 replicas of Stevie's "Lenny" guitar (185 for the U.S. market, 50 overseas) that went on sale in mid-December, 2007, at a price of $17,000 each. "Lenny" was purchased by Guitar Center in the 2004 Crossroads guitar auction benifitting Eric Clapton's Crossroads Center in Antigua for $623,500. See Fender.com for more information.

Many Fender SRV Guitar Find our Lowest Possible Price!

Okay, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s tone was massive. There’s no myth there. But an entire industry has practically grown up around assisting players in replicating that monster of a sound, and I’d like to invest an installment of Myth Busters to look fender srv overlay
 at what you can achieve in this realm, and what you can’t. It had three Danelectro lipstick pickups. Stevie later added the famed topless hula-woman stick on the back of the guitar. This guitar often was used during "Life Without You", which was itself said to be written as a tribute to Charley Wirz. Lenny “The Main” aka “the Couldn’t Stand the Weather guitar” features a neck-through-body design (unlike any other guitars Stevie played), a two-piece maple body, ebony fretboard with a mother-of-pearl inlay that read “Stevie Ray Vaughan”, and EMG pre-amped pickups. During the recording of Couldn’t Stand the Weather music video the pickups were damaged, and soon after replaced with vintage Fender single-coils.

SRV played several guitars throughout his career, but far and away his favorite and the most played was the one he called “Number One,” which was purchased in fender srv stratocaster capacitor
 the mid 1970s at Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music Store in Austin, Texas. This guitar is often described as being a 1959 Fender Stratocaster with a slab rosewood fingerboard, a reference that has helped to give Strats of this vintage an extra cache on the collector’s market. Martinez: No, it was all the same. He still had high action, he played in E-flat, we tuned E-flat and the action was still high. But nothing changed other than that. The tone was always you know, it's not just the strings and the rig, it was all 100% in his hands, so it didn't change. Breaking strings became a big part of that, but once I figured that out, then everything was okay.

Search for SRV Guitars Look Up Quick Results Now!

In any case, “Number One” was far from original, and if not for its SRV associations would have become the type of vintage guitar that collector’s turn their noses up at. Vaughan preferred Dunlop jumbo frets on his guitars, and this Strat had fender srv stratocaster instructions
 been refretted with them so many times (due to the extreme use it experienced) that the upper reaches of the fingerboard were migrating from the original 7 1/4” to a flatter 9” radius (as measured and reported by luthier and writer Dan Erlewine in The Guitar Player Repair Guide). I figured out the string breaking problem. He was always breaking strings and I figured that one out and I figured out a thing for it that he didn't break strings for 15 shows in a row. And if he had done it just for two shows in a row I'd have been just ecstatic. It turned out that the record was 15 and I was very impressed. So I knew that the things I was doing were working.

Huge selection of SRV Guitars

Stevie Ray Vaughan is a fearsome texas blues player. He’s one of those players who’s got the the full spectrum covered. He can effortlessly fly around the fretboard at a ferocious pace whilst also having the ability to evoke the gamut of moods with fender srv stratocaster information
 just a few well placed, and struck, notes. He’s comfortable exploring all dynamic ranges and can smoothly, and subtly, transition from delicate but intricate playing, straight into intense attack-mode! Does the guitar’s precise vintage matter? Not a whole lot. Regardless of SRV’s connection a 1959 Stratocaster retains a certain collector’s appeal because it demarks the first year of the rosewood fingerboard, but so-called “slab” rosewood fingerboards (thicker boards, with a flat bottom, rather than the thinner “veneer” boards that followed) were still being used into 1962 — and Fender neck profiles varied quite a bit anyway — so Strats from 1959 and 1962 might not be radically different, from the average player’s perspective.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Day By Day

The guitar remained stock until 1986, when a left-handed neck was installed and "SRV" stickers were applied to the pickguard. In 1989, the neck on "Number One" was unable to withstand more re-fret jobs, replacing it with the original fender srv stratocaster intonation
 neck from "Red." The next year, following a concert at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, a stanchion fell onto Vaughan's rack of guitars, splitting the neck from "Red" that was installed on "Number One." The neck was replaced the next night. Our Attention to detail was always to the best of of any replica maker. Fender recognized this, and requested that we stop making guitars from parts and keep them valid by using Fender Donor guitars. We can purchase one to your specifications and budget, or you can supply one. The original Fender Headstock Decal and Serial Number must Remain. Your Fender Warranty will be Void due to the extreme modifications.

Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tech from 1985 until the beloved bluesman

A REVELATOR SuperKing model in three tone Sunburst based on Stevie Ray Vaughan's legendary Stratocaster. It's an understatement to say that no-one could ever REALLY recreate what Stevie's iconic Strat looks & feels like. What I endeavored fender srv stratocaster image
 to do with this build was to pay tribute to his world famous Strat by trying to get the vibe of the look of the piece, the weathered feel, & the Tone. While not a ding for ding replica I believe I did get close to representing the aura of SRV's Vintage Strat. "Red", one of his other guitars, originally had a right-handed neck, but switched over to a left-handed neck in 1986. Around 1990, because "Number One" was having neck troubles, he took the original neck from "Scotch" and put it on "Number One" and took the original neck from "Red" and put it on "Scotch", leaving the left-handed neck on "Red".Stevie usually used this guitar on "Leave My Girl Alone", and sometimes "Superstition".

Stevie Ray Vaughan collaborated with Fender to produce a signature Stratocaster

This guitar features a two-piece maple body and a "neck-through body" design. It also originally had EMG preamped pickups, but Vaughan didn't like the pickups in it. His next music video was about to be made, which was "Couldn't Stand the fender srv stratocaster input
 Weather", and didn't want to get Number One wet during ?filming, so he used the Hamiltone for filming. The EMG pickups and Gibson style amber top hat knobs were changed in June 1984. Lenny is a 1963 or 1964 Stratocaster, bought for Vaughan by his wife, Lenora, because he didn't have the money to buy it. Originally 3-tone sunburst with a rosewood neck, it was later stripped down to a dark natural finish and re-fitted with a mid-'50s-style maple neck reportedly given to him by Billy Gibbons. Behind the bridge, on the lower bout of the guitar body is a unique inlay, thought to be originally from an early 1900s mandolin.

It's definitely true that Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of my all-time favorite guitarists

Yellow was a 1959 Stratocaster formerly owned by Vanilla Fudge's lead guitarist, Vince Martell, who sold it to Charley Wirz. The body was hollowed out to make room for "a shitload of humbuckers," but Wirz fashioned a new pickguard in fender srv stratocaster identification
 which he placed a single Fender Strat pickup in the neck position and painted the body yellow. Wirz gave the guitar to Vaughan in 1983 or 1984; it is the guitar with the letters "SRV" on the pickguard under the string. I can't play like Stevie but the tone I got with these pickups and body mated together with this neck absolutely KILLED. In the case of a guitar of the stature of Stevie Ray Vaughan's number one Stratocaster, that's really all one can aspire to. This was a labor of love and respect. So many have waxed eloquent about Stevie's talent but I have to say I was blown away a-fresh as I relistened during this build. No matter how many times I listen to him he never disappoints. Live at the El Mocambo 1983 was just unreal..........