Famous Axes

The black Strat photographed in Hendrix's hands the day before he died — less documented than the Woodstock guitar, but reportedly his favorite.

The Strat Hendrix spray-painted and burned at Monterey Pop on June 18, 1967 — only a fragment survives, but it remains the most iconic act of rock stage destruction ever documented.

The Olympic White Strat Hendrix played at Woodstock — one of the best-documented guitars in rock history, in MoPOP's permanent collection in Seattle.

John Mayer's John Cruz-built black relic Strat, the guitar most closely tied to Continuum and the bridge between his Fender and PRS eras.

SRV's ballad Strat — a documented mid-'60s-and-later composite, heard on 'Riviera Paradise' and defined by its mandolin inlay and 'SRV '80' neck plate

SRV's battle-scarred, primary Strat — heavily modified and used throughout his career.

The butterscotch blackguard Telecaster at the center of Keith Richards' five-string open-G method — used on Exile on Main St. and still appearing on Rolling Stones albums 50+ years later.

Roy Buchanan's battered 1953 Telecaster, serial #2324 — the no-pedal effects machine behind his swells, harmonics, and myth.

The Sonic Blue Mustang Cobain played on 53 of 63 In Utero tour dates — modified by tech Earnie Bailey with a Seymour Duncan JB and locked vibrato, sold at auction in 2023 for $1.587 million.