Jimmy Page's Gibson named 'coolest guitar in rock'
Jimmy Page's Gibson EDS-1275 double neck has been named the 'coolest guitar in rock' in a new rundown on Gigwise.com.
The EDS-1275, pictured below, famously allowed Jimmy Page to perform Stairway To Heaven live without the need for a clumsy mid-song guitar change.
Page also used the weighty instrument live for renditions of other Led Zeppelin classics such as The Rain Song, Gallows Pole and The Song Remains The Same.
Other guitars that appear in the Gigwise chart seem to suggest a bias towards oddball multi-neck and 'shape' guitars such as Steve Vai's triple-neck Ibanez Heart Guitar and Prince's Symbol.
The Top 10
1. Jimmy Page's Gibson EDS-1275 double neck
2. Michael Angelo Batio's Quad Guitar
3. Steve Vai's Ibanez triple neck 'Heart' guitar
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4. Eddie Van Halen's 'Frankenstein'
5. Rick Nielson's Hamer five neck
6. Prince's 'Symbol'
7. Pat Metheny's 42-string Pikasso guitar
8. Michael Angelo Batio's twin neck
9. Dimebag Darrell's Dean Dixie Rebel
10. Matt Bellamy's Manson custom
Is Michael Angelo Batio's quadruple-neck honestly the second coolest guitar in rock, or merely a monument to the folly of '80s hair metal? Does the former Nitro man genuinely deserve two entries in the top ten? Is it worrying that the only truly contemporary instrument in the top 10 is Matt Bellamy's effects-loaded Manson custom electric?
Is this just another yawn-inducing internet list designed to cause controversy and generate traffic?
Check out the full Gigwise top 30 here to see just how far the Gigwise team stretch the definition of cool, then argue amongst yourselves.
Chris Vinnicombe worked with us here on the MusicRadar team from the site's initial launch way back in 2007, and also contributed to Guitarist magazine as Features Editor until 2014, as well as Total Guitar magazine, amongst others. These days he can be found at Gibson Guitars, where he is editor-in-chief.
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