Six Obscure Guitars Used on Famous Rock Albums
As artists, we are always striving to expand our sonic palette, and sometimes that means using obscure or unconventional instruments. In this article, we will cover a few instances where obscure guitars were used on famous albums throughout rock history.
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Jimmy Page (right) performing with The Yardbirds in Denmark, 1967. He plays a Vox Phantom VII. Image: Jorden Angel/Redferns via Getty Images
Jimmy Page’s Vox Phantom XII
Jimmy Page used a Vox Phantom XII for the recording of what many people would argue is the greatest rock song ever written, Stairway to Heaven. In fact, Page used two different twelve-string guitars for the recording; the Vox and a Fender. The Vox Phantom XII had been in his arsenal since his days in The Yardbirds.
“I had all of that on the acoustics, and I ran through it with the rest of the band, and then we went to record it. Just as soon as we had the whole run of the track, then I started laying on the 12-string. So I think I put the Vox 12-string on it first, and I wanted to use one 12-string on the left and one on the right, so there would be just a slight sound difference between the Vox 12-string, and the Fender 12-string,” Page told Rolling Stone. “Of course, they all come together for what I call the fanfare before the guitar solo… and then there is a solo that’s put on it, and basically that is the whole of the run for the thing. It’s mainly the acoustic, and the two 12-strings are driving it all the way through, and then there’s the solo.”
Its odd shape may have ensured that the Vox Phantom XII would never become a model to rival the Stratocaster or the Les Paul, but nevertheless, it found a place among the fringes of rock music, being used for unique colored 12-string tones by the likes of artists such as Tom Petty, Brian Jones, and Johnny Thunders.
Adam Jones’s Gibson Marauder
Tool’s six string genius Adam Jones employed the use of an obscure Gibson relic for the recording of their latest effort, Fear Inoculum. The instrument in question, the Gibson Marauder, had a short-lived stint during Gibson’s often-maligned Norlin Era. It was officially produced between 1975 and 1979 – although it is believed that some custom builds eked out of the factory up to 1982.
Over the four years of production, only 7,111 Marauders were ever sold, according to Gibson records. Paul Stanley has since stated that he never actually played the Marauder in earnest, but would often bring one out for every encore to smash.
The model has since found a niche among artists who are reaching for a tone that is just a bit different. Regarding its use on Fear Inoculum, Joe Barresi told Guitar World in 2019, “Adam brought in a Gibson Marauder – which I thought was the ugliest guitar I’d ever seen – but it has the pickups Bill Lawrence designed for Gibson, and it blew my mind how much clarity those pickups had. With that five-way varitone switch, you can dial in almost any sound.”
Eddie Van Halen performing with his Steinberger GL2T in Detroit, 1986. Image: Ross Marino/Getty Images
Eddie Van Halen’s Steinberger GL2T
Eddie Van Halen is strongly associated with his modded Frankenstrat, which was actually his main guitar for only a span of four or five years, and Eddie went on to use a lot of guitars in the years since then. In 1986, Van Halen released their first album with their new singer Sammy Hagar, titled 5150. During the recording sessions, Eddie used a Steinberger headless guitar for the song Summer Nights and a handful of others in the ensuing years. Eddie’s Steinberger was built by Jeff Babicz and featured the iconic striped paint job that first appeared on the Frankenstrat.
The Edge’s Infinite Guitar
The Infinite Guitar created by Michael Brook was best known for its use on U2’s Joshua Tree album, specifically on the hit song With or Without You. The brilliance of this guitar lies in its circuitry, which may have been one of the first sustainer pickups. Of course in the years since the recently departed Fernandes and Sustainiac have produced far more compact and refined versions of this circuitry. Only three Infinite Guitars were ever made, and they were allegedly quite finicky and did not hold up to touring.
Wes Borland performing at Zitadelle Spandau in Berline, 2015. He plays a custom Gorodnitski Cremona. Image: Stefan Hoederath/Redferns via Getty Images
Wes Borland’s Gorodnitski Cremona
Wes Borland is a unique guitarist who often relied on equally unique instruments. While many nu-metal bands were going toward 7-string guitars, Borland headed the opposite direction. Borland used custom four-string instruments that landed somewhere between bass and guitar early in his career. George Gorodnitski built three gorgeous guitars (2 four-string and 1 six-string) based on his Cremona model that were the primary instruments used on Limp Bizkit’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. The guitar features a 26.5” scale, and the strings that came on the guitar were pulled from guitar and bass sets; the gauges were as follows: E – .030, B – .042, F – .052, F (an octave lower) – .080. These unique guitars were a massive part of his iconic tones on those records.
Kim Thayil performing with Soundgarden at Lollapalooza, 1996. He plays a Guild S-100. Image: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Kim Thayil’s Guild S-100
Since the very beginning of Soundgarden’s career, guitarist Kim Thayil has relied on a Guild S-100 – even after the band got big and were able to afford much more expensive gear. The S-100 is close to a copy of Gibson SG with some subtle differences that helped sculpt Thayil’s tones. When his bandmate Chris Cornell got an endorsement with Gibson, Thayil was offered the same deal but opted out in favor of his Guild.
I spoke with Thayil about his use of the S-100 on various Soundgarden records here at Guitar.com. “On the first three albums [the S-100] comprises over 90 per cent of those songs. It’s all over Screaming Life. I think that album and Ultramega OK were predominantly the Guild S-100. It’s also on Louder Than Love which was our first major label album, where we got a large recording budget. With that budget and with our producer, Terry Date, we had more flexibility in what kind of gear we could rent or purchase. Terry, our producer, encouraged me to go pick up a couple of different guitars just so we have more to work with in the studio.”
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