they may just be six strings and a chunk
of wood but in the right hands they are
the ultimate weapon of expression
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
guitar models of all time
for this list or looking at a selection
of guitars based on iconic or
groundbreaking designs general
musicality and enduring popularity with
amateurs and pros alike
third is Excalibur wow I just fell in
love with this guitar number ten Gibson
Explorer
debuting in 1958 this is one electric
guitar that was way ahead of its time so
far ahead in fact that Gibson ceased
selling the model in 1963 by the mid 70s
however the market and the masses were
finally ready for its futuristic style
and it was brought back in 1976
it was estimated that Gibson originally
produced less than 50 of the Carina Wood
explorers which compounded with its
eventual popularity provided an
opportunity for other manufacturers to
copy it
though radically styled the Explorer is
loaded with Gibson tone and has a
tendency to turn up in the least likely
of places and I was slightly like oh
like it’s a little strange-looking
you know I thought it’s this gonna other
guys in the band gonna look and go what
or something number nine
Ibanez gemmed previously known for its
high-quality copies Ivan has found their
footing and struck gold when they
partnered with guitarist Steve Vai to
produce this gem
the pinnacle of 80 super strats the gem
began development in 1985 using the
Maxis series as its basis and by
incorporating design features demanded
by by himself and I designed this guitar
with Ivan has about 25 years ago to fit
some of the idiosyncrasies of my plane
those changes include the unique monkey
grip of palm rest scalloped frets
DiMarzio pickups and a lightweight base
wood body
the popularity of the guitars spawned
the more affordable RG series and the
seven-string universe model which shaped
much of the late 90’s heavy and new
metal sound
number eight Gibson Flying V
as with the Gibson Explorer the world of
the 1950s just wasn’t ready for this
heavy hitting humbucker equipped rocker
debuting in 1958 the Flying V had fans
and guitarists Lonnie Mack and Albert
King but the model effectively died by
1959
throughout the 60s however players like
Jimi Hendrix and kinks guitarist Dave
Davies discovered the model and in 1967
Gibson tried again
with minor changes to the bridge and
saddle system the company’s struck
paydirt with the new improved Flying V
and the guitar has been a hard rocking
mainstay ever since
number seven Rickenbacker 300 series
containing the short scale 325 the
upmarket 360 and the popular 330 these
semi-hollow maple body guitars were
designed by german luthier roguia ross
my soul and are known for their bright
jangly sound
first launching in 1958 and then named
the Capri series in honor of owner FC
halls pet cat Rickenbacker’s flagship
300 series helped create the sound of
the 60s through their use by bands like
the WHO and the animals
while the Beatles and The Byrds both
employed Rick’s iconic and game-changing
12-string models
number six Gibson SG
intended as a replacement for the slow
selling Gibson Les Paul the soon to be
named SG first hit the market in 1961
popular from the start even if some
players did miss a classic Les Paul the
SG unlike many Gibson models has never
been out of production and is in fact
the company’s best selling models
available with either p90s or humbuckers
the SGS are appreciated by many players
for their slim next incredible fret
access and light weight all of which
have made it a hardrock go-to guitar for
decades
went up to Brooklyn and to the factory
and told him what all I wanted and they
built this guitar it was the orange
Gretsch 6120 they call it number five
Gretsch 6120 designed in conjunction
with Chet Atkins and endorsed by the
guitars from 1955 until the mid 60s the
Gretsch six one two zero reached far
beyond its country roots also known as
the nashville it’s hollow body and clear
crisp filter tron pickups have made it
an unlikely but gritty rock and roll
guitar
a hot seller in the 60s due to its
affiliation with the Beatles production
of the 60120 ceased in the 1970s but the
model and parent company were brought
back from extinction in the 80s in part
due to a renewed interest brought on by
rockabilly guitar slinger Brian Setzer
number four gibson es-335
popping up in guitar shops in 1958 and
following the initial success of the Les
Paul the es-335 marked a return to
Gibson’s traditional construction
techniques as well as it’s warm darker
tone
equally suited to jazz and blues as it
is to rock the guitar was designed by
the company’s then-president and guitar
making legends Ted McCarthy
the plan for the guitar was to be
slimmer and less likely to feedback than
a true hollow body guitar but more airy
and open sounding than a solid body
guitar and we can see and hear why it’s
become a popular model
number three fender telecaster as the
first proper and mass-produced solid
body guitar the Fender Telecaster was an
absolute GameChanger
using been new and radical bolt on neck
system bender was not only able to build
guitars quickly but was also able to
simplify guitar building as a whole
a flat slab of Awesomeness that le has
been tinkered with but rarely tampered
with and has changed very little since
1950
although initially mocked it caught on
quickly with guitars falling hard for
the sharp twangy attack while its
cutting versatile sound made every
musician who played it feel right at
home
number two Fender Stratocaster although
almost the default electric guitar today
the Fender Stratocaster was as radical
and otherworldly as things got in 1954
from its double cutaway body it’s cozy
welcome and contours custom colors and
its original tremolo whammy bar system
the strat was unlike anything else
around
basically unchanged since 1956 when ash
bodies were sought for lighter older
ones the Stratocaster was partly created
based on customer feedback from the
Telecaster and in a world before Jimi
Hendrix was intended for country music
instead the strap has popped up in the
arms of everyone from Buddy Holly to
Weezer
before we unveil our topic here are a
few honorable mentions
number one Gibson Les Paul
designed by Gibson president Ted
McCarthy and endorsed in perpetuity by
Katara’s Les Paul this maple and
mahogany beauty was the company’s entry
into the solid-body guitar market
painted gold at Les Paul suggestion the
guitar came equipped with single coil
p90 pickups when it debuted in 1952
but these were swapped in 1957 for the
company’s new humbucking design it was
with this stroke of innovation that the
legend was truly born
although discontinued in 1961 the Les
Paul continued to be popular among
players leading to the model returning
with a vengeance in 1968
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite guitar form or humbucking top
10s published daily be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com you just bought it
attached it wasn’t no I was just
pointing at it I will dot point even
don’t even right now
of wood but in the right hands they are
the ultimate weapon of expression
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
guitar models of all time
for this list or looking at a selection
of guitars based on iconic or
groundbreaking designs general
musicality and enduring popularity with
amateurs and pros alike
third is Excalibur wow I just fell in
love with this guitar number ten Gibson
Explorer
debuting in 1958 this is one electric
guitar that was way ahead of its time so
far ahead in fact that Gibson ceased
selling the model in 1963 by the mid 70s
however the market and the masses were
finally ready for its futuristic style
and it was brought back in 1976
it was estimated that Gibson originally
produced less than 50 of the Carina Wood
explorers which compounded with its
eventual popularity provided an
opportunity for other manufacturers to
copy it
though radically styled the Explorer is
loaded with Gibson tone and has a
tendency to turn up in the least likely
of places and I was slightly like oh
like it’s a little strange-looking
you know I thought it’s this gonna other
guys in the band gonna look and go what
or something number nine
Ibanez gemmed previously known for its
high-quality copies Ivan has found their
footing and struck gold when they
partnered with guitarist Steve Vai to
produce this gem
the pinnacle of 80 super strats the gem
began development in 1985 using the
Maxis series as its basis and by
incorporating design features demanded
by by himself and I designed this guitar
with Ivan has about 25 years ago to fit
some of the idiosyncrasies of my plane
those changes include the unique monkey
grip of palm rest scalloped frets
DiMarzio pickups and a lightweight base
wood body
the popularity of the guitars spawned
the more affordable RG series and the
seven-string universe model which shaped
much of the late 90’s heavy and new
metal sound
number eight Gibson Flying V
as with the Gibson Explorer the world of
the 1950s just wasn’t ready for this
heavy hitting humbucker equipped rocker
debuting in 1958 the Flying V had fans
and guitarists Lonnie Mack and Albert
King but the model effectively died by
1959
throughout the 60s however players like
Jimi Hendrix and kinks guitarist Dave
Davies discovered the model and in 1967
Gibson tried again
with minor changes to the bridge and
saddle system the company’s struck
paydirt with the new improved Flying V
and the guitar has been a hard rocking
mainstay ever since
number seven Rickenbacker 300 series
containing the short scale 325 the
upmarket 360 and the popular 330 these
semi-hollow maple body guitars were
designed by german luthier roguia ross
my soul and are known for their bright
jangly sound
first launching in 1958 and then named
the Capri series in honor of owner FC
halls pet cat Rickenbacker’s flagship
300 series helped create the sound of
the 60s through their use by bands like
the WHO and the animals
while the Beatles and The Byrds both
employed Rick’s iconic and game-changing
12-string models
number six Gibson SG
intended as a replacement for the slow
selling Gibson Les Paul the soon to be
named SG first hit the market in 1961
popular from the start even if some
players did miss a classic Les Paul the
SG unlike many Gibson models has never
been out of production and is in fact
the company’s best selling models
available with either p90s or humbuckers
the SGS are appreciated by many players
for their slim next incredible fret
access and light weight all of which
have made it a hardrock go-to guitar for
decades
went up to Brooklyn and to the factory
and told him what all I wanted and they
built this guitar it was the orange
Gretsch 6120 they call it number five
Gretsch 6120 designed in conjunction
with Chet Atkins and endorsed by the
guitars from 1955 until the mid 60s the
Gretsch six one two zero reached far
beyond its country roots also known as
the nashville it’s hollow body and clear
crisp filter tron pickups have made it
an unlikely but gritty rock and roll
guitar
a hot seller in the 60s due to its
affiliation with the Beatles production
of the 60120 ceased in the 1970s but the
model and parent company were brought
back from extinction in the 80s in part
due to a renewed interest brought on by
rockabilly guitar slinger Brian Setzer
number four gibson es-335
popping up in guitar shops in 1958 and
following the initial success of the Les
Paul the es-335 marked a return to
Gibson’s traditional construction
techniques as well as it’s warm darker
tone
equally suited to jazz and blues as it
is to rock the guitar was designed by
the company’s then-president and guitar
making legends Ted McCarthy
the plan for the guitar was to be
slimmer and less likely to feedback than
a true hollow body guitar but more airy
and open sounding than a solid body
guitar and we can see and hear why it’s
become a popular model
number three fender telecaster as the
first proper and mass-produced solid
body guitar the Fender Telecaster was an
absolute GameChanger
using been new and radical bolt on neck
system bender was not only able to build
guitars quickly but was also able to
simplify guitar building as a whole
a flat slab of Awesomeness that le has
been tinkered with but rarely tampered
with and has changed very little since
1950
although initially mocked it caught on
quickly with guitars falling hard for
the sharp twangy attack while its
cutting versatile sound made every
musician who played it feel right at
home
number two Fender Stratocaster although
almost the default electric guitar today
the Fender Stratocaster was as radical
and otherworldly as things got in 1954
from its double cutaway body it’s cozy
welcome and contours custom colors and
its original tremolo whammy bar system
the strat was unlike anything else
around
basically unchanged since 1956 when ash
bodies were sought for lighter older
ones the Stratocaster was partly created
based on customer feedback from the
Telecaster and in a world before Jimi
Hendrix was intended for country music
instead the strap has popped up in the
arms of everyone from Buddy Holly to
Weezer
before we unveil our topic here are a
few honorable mentions
number one Gibson Les Paul
designed by Gibson president Ted
McCarthy and endorsed in perpetuity by
Katara’s Les Paul this maple and
mahogany beauty was the company’s entry
into the solid-body guitar market
painted gold at Les Paul suggestion the
guitar came equipped with single coil
p90 pickups when it debuted in 1952
but these were swapped in 1957 for the
company’s new humbucking design it was
with this stroke of innovation that the
legend was truly born
although discontinued in 1961 the Les
Paul continued to be popular among
players leading to the model returning
with a vengeance in 1968
do you agree with our list what’s your
favorite guitar form or humbucking top
10s published daily be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com you just bought it
attached it wasn’t no I was just
pointing at it I will dot point even
don’t even right now
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