The 28 Most Recognizable Guitars

8. Artist: Bo Diddley
Instrument: The Big B
Description: Taking the hardware, neck and electronics off his original Gretsch guitar, Diddley stuck them on a wooden box, and poof: the Big B was invented.
Factoid: The box design was born from a series of embarrassing events onstage involving Diddley’s previous Gibson L5 guitar crushing his groin from frantic onstage dancing.
Shining Moment: On November 20, 1955, with Big B by his side, Diddley made the first appearance of an African-American on The Ed Sullivan show. The TV host became furious when Diddley burst into two songs rather than one and made the claim that Diddley, “wouldn’t last six months in this business.” Diddley went on to become the “originator” of rock & roll, celebrating a 50-plus-year career.

7. Artist: Willie Nelson
Instrument: Trigger
Description: This 1969 Spanish-style acoustic created by Martin guitars is famous for the extra hole under the strings where Nelson has worn through the body during his 40-plus-year career. Trigger has been signed by some of the biggest names in country music, including Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge and over a hundred other greats.
Factoid: Nelson first had someone sign the guitar as an insurance policy so it could be identified if it was stolen.
Shining Moment: After releasing a line of Trigger look-alikes, Martin guitars offered Nelson a handful of brand-new deluxe editions of the original, which were quickly turned down by Nelson, who claimed, “The day that Trigger is broken and unplayable is the day I retire.”

6. Artist: Prince
Instrument: Purple Glyph Symbol Guitar
Description: Made by Auerswald Instruments in the early '90s, this 24-fret, short-necked masterpiece bears the symbol that replaced the pint-sized shredder's name for the “artist formally known as” portion of his career.
Factoid: In 1992, Prince donated a similarly wild “cloud guitar” to the Smithsonian Institute, where it is on display as a part of the museum’s exhibition on “the evolution of the guitar.”
Shining Moment: Appearing as the halftime performer for Super Bowl XLI, Prince delivered "Purple Rain" — in the rain — while striking classic guitar-as-phallus poses behind a censor-silencing sheet. Take that, Janet Jackson!

5. Artist: Paul McCartney
Instrument: Hofner Violin Bass
Description: Sir Paul’s first Hofner bass was a 1962 500/1 model with a sleek violin-shaped body and a bright sunburst finish.
Factoid: Being a left-handed player, McCartney chose the Hofner bass for its lightweight playability (like the acoustic guitars he was used to) and for its symmetrical shape (which allowed him to restring it left-handed and not look odd).
Shining Moment: From the moment the Beatles hit The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, McCartney opened up the vocabulary of the bass, making it more than just the halfway house for untalented guitarists. This proved to be ironic, as it was later revealed that McCartney was forced to play the bass against his will in the band.