Joe Hottinger
May 18, 2021
Nashville
(Twitter: link)
Check 'em out. They're all beauts. I just don't play them anymore. Time to make some room for guitars that I will play. I like all of my guitars... I'll make sure I accidentally leave a few old guitar picks in the case. If you can get to Nashville, I'll meet up with you, give it to you, and there will obviously be no shipping costs. If I need to ship it, I'll have it professionally packed and shipped at whatever speed you want. Once I get the price for packing and shipping, I'll let you know what it is...
Matte Black Frankenstrat ($3500)
Studio and stage used... I got this Mexican made Fender Limited Edition Strat back in 2011 or 2012. It wouldn't stay in tune right, so I put in what I think (if my memory serves me right) was a bridge from an Eric Johnson USA Strat. That fixed everything. The guitar became solid. It has two DiMarzio Super Distortion pickups (I think their Super Distortions, it was a while ago). Then I took the neck off of a John 5 Telecaster that I had sitting around, and attached it to the Strat. I liked the John 5 neck because it has more of a Gibson feel. As in, a wider neck. So that's why the top says Telecaster. It comes with Fender case candy from the time and the whammy bar. I got this while we were in LA making the 2nd Reanimate EP. So it was definitely used on that recording. I know I also used it at some live performances. Thus the tape on the ends of the pickup. That's an old Dimebag trick for keeping the high E string from getting caught under the pickup lip... This just isn't being given the love it deserves. I hope someone will get it and make her again.
Epiphone Wilshire ($4000)
Used on tour and in the studio... I think I may regret this one. This is made at the Gibson USA Factory in 2009. They only made 100 of these red bad boys. I got this outside of Denver before our Loveland show in 2018. I played it on stage that night. And many other nights. It came on quite a few tours with me. Since the pandemic, I've been using it in my basement studio as a tool while we put together all the new songs for the new record. It comes with the OG hard case and all the case candy. It just nails the P-90 sound. I'm a bit on the fence about letting this go, but I have my eyes set on some new guit-fiddles that I think will more than make up for this.
1990's Custom Shop Relic'd 1957 Hardtail Strat ($4000)
Used on cover EP 2 and on stage... Back in the earlier days of the custom shop, the Fender boys made this guitar for a guy Johnny Rzeznik from the band Goo Goo Dolls. In 2012, a day or two after we won a Grammy, I rolled into Norm's Rare Guitars in LA and got this bad boy. They told me the neck was specially made to JR's specs. Whatever that means. Anyway, I went from Norm's to the studio and started recording with it. Mike Plotnikoff, the engineer, was very impressed. I remember him saying something to the effect that 'it sounds better than the real vintage Strat we have'. The only problem I have with this Strat is that I don't play it anymore. Not for any reason other than I have a few other Strats that I'm using all the time. Since I'm not really playing it and it's just sitting in its case, I thought I would sell it and use that money to get some guitars that I will play more often. So here we are.
Neil Young's Old Black | 2016 Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute ($4000)
Stage played... I got this in 2018. I've always loved Neil and when I saw that Dax & Co. did a spot on replica, I had to have it. I played it the first night I got it, on August 11, 2018. The day we played the Illinois State Fair. And for the rest of the Summer tour we were on with In This Moment and New Years Day. It has vibe for days.
Les Paul Junior ($6000)
A Double Cut 1959! Look at her. Repainted to a beautiful Gold Top. Refretted for maximum playability. And I don't really know or care if the pickup is orginal, because she screams!... This arrived for me at Santander Arena in Reading, PA on April 1, 2016. It was the first night of the Halestorm/ Lita Ford/ Dorothy tour and our first ever sold out arena show. I feel lucky just being the guy this guitar chose for a few years. I can't wait to see where it ends up and hear the beautiful music it will keep making.
The Apocalyptic Gretsch White Falcon ($7000)
The Gretsch White Falcon that I used in the Apocalyptic video and on stage... many, many times. It has the original hard case, paper work, and case candy. I remember this showed up the day we played a headline show in Lancaster, PA at Freedom Hall on November 26, 2014. I believe we had just finished recording the Into the Wild Life album, or we were close to finishing it. Either way, it's been on a bunch of tours since then. I'm happy to have been a part of its journey on this earth. I hope it goes on to make plenty more people happy.
