The 28 Most Recognizable Guitars

24. Artist: Michael Anthony, Van Halen
Instrument: Jack Daniel's Bass
Description: With a combined love of low-end bass and low-end whiskey, Anthony enlisted the help of luthiers Kevin Dugan and Dave Jellison to create the “JD Bass” in the shape of an oversized Jack Daniel's bottle.
Factoid: Although Van Halen's 2007 tour with original singer David Lee Roth was dubbed a "reunion," original bassist Anthony was not invited to reunite: He was replaced by Eddie's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang Van Halen. A rumored reason: Anthony's love of Jack Daniel's.
Shining Moment: Anthony and bass, suspended by a wire and swinging across the stage in the 1984 video for “Panama.”

23. Artist: Angus Young
Instrument: Gibson SG
Description: Young’s iconic Gibson SG was built in 1968 with a solid mahogany body and classic humbucker pickups.
Factoid: Standing at a less-than-staggering 5'2", Young chose the SG for its rocking sound, but also for its light weight and short neck.
Shining Moment: While playing a club in Australia, Young, SG in hand, tripped on a cord and fell to the ground during a guitar solo. Not to look foolish, he began spinning frantically in a circular seizure that later became his trademark move, “the spasm.”

22. Artist: Ace Frehley, KISS
Instrument: Laser Guitar
Description: This Les Paul look-alike built by Steve Carr is equipped with fiber-optic cables and mercury triggering switches that shoot lasers from the headstock. (Flamethrowers were added later on.)
Factoid: KISS’s stage show proved to be a challenge throughout their career: Gene Simmons’ fire-spitting act ignited his hair. In 1979, a $1 million laser show which featured lasers emanating from an eyepiece on Paul Stanley was created, and then scrapped.
Shining Moment: Proving he could still rock the house during their 2000 reunion tour, Frehley took an extended solo while shooting flames into the air above the crowd. The guitar itself caught fire, but the cool spaceman simply grabbed another axe to finish the job.

21. Artist: Albert King
Instrument: Gibson Flying V
Description: These distinctive guitars first rolled off the assembly line in 1957 to sex up the Gibson brand, but didn't catch on in the marketplace until bluesmen like Albert King started plugging them in.
Factoid: Besides making an indelible mark in blues music, King also worked for a while as a bulldozer operator.
Shining Moment: The V's unmistakable rock & roll heart was recognized by a new generation when it became a stock body choice for Guitar Hero II video game controllers.