Best fictional guitar

Subject: Best fictional guitar
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 01:55 PM

I always thought the one in Dustin Hoffman's flat looked pretty cool in All the President's Men. Like he was going to nail Tricky Dicky then go out and do a gig with Dave Van Ronk.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Bert
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 02:13 PM

What was that thing Kirk Douglas played in 20,000 leages under the sea?

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: RangerSteve
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 05:06 PM

I believe it was "River of No Return" where Marilyn Monroe pretended to play guitar on the title song.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 05:19 PM

Gottabe the electric guitar in Gael Baudino's Gossamer Axe (book description here), but please don't take this as evidence that I spend all day reading this kind of stuff!

Claire

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 05:53 PM

The Trader guitar in TRADER by Charles De Lint. DeLint is a musician himself, and took the time to interview Ed Dick and Grit Laskin so that he would get the luthiery details right.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Amos
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 06:05 PM

Our own Mudcat Fiction thread on the red guitar is a fine winner, IMHO.


A

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: 12-stringer
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 07:53 PM

[b]Who Fears the Devil?[/b] by Manly Wade Wellman; John's silver-string guitar. Handy when you're up against the supernatural.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 09:14 PM

Jake Stonebender's Gibson J-45, aka "Lady MacBeth" from Spider Robinson's Callahan books.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Midchuck
Date: 21 Mar 06 - 10:11 PM

Gorgeous G., you beat me.

Did you read the story where it got busted - the "Princess Bride" takeoff?

Peter.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 08:43 AM

I vaguely remember a film (possibly starring Roy Orbison)which featured a Guitar that doubled as a rifle.
Just the thing for keeping hecklers in line.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 02:07 PM

that one the French woman played The Marsellaise on in Casablanca

then there was Crossroads - the Steve Vai one, not the Pebble Mill one

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: fat B****rd
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 02:46 PM

Audrey Hepburn "Breakfast At Tiffanys"

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 03:52 PM

Here's a rare live-action fictional guitar nomination: Joe Cocker's air guitar as played at the Woodstock Festival (and apparently countless times since).

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Mark Ross
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 04:33 PM

In FORCE TEN FROM NAVARONE, sequel to GUNS, the gypsy's guitar hides a machine pistol which does a quite effective job killing off the bad guys(I think).

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: open mike
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 04:35 PM

here some guitars of fictional proportions..
did Paul Bunyan play these?
http://www.agilitynut.com/mim5.html
http://hometown.aol.com/ujaxmanmike/myhomepage/collection.html
http://www.roadway.com/offroad/attract_sept.html
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==5850
http://www.happydeathinc.com/roadside/Pages/giantguitar.htm
http://www.otisredding.com/statue/

it seems like i saw aonther one here once..
one you could actually play..anyone remember?

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: open mike
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 04:58 PM

ditto on that Silver John's guitar...
saving the world from evil..silver strung...
we once did a play commemorating him..
the Ballad of Silver John...great stuff!

also, this just in from the giant guitar collections..

http://www.brucegray.com/htmlfolder/html_subpages/guitarsteel.html
http://gallery.michaelandkrissy.com/v/Weddings/wankwedding/IMG_1440.jpg.html
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/roger/QueryTips.php3?tip_AttractionName=guitar&tip_Town=&tip_State=&Submit=Go+Roger!
http://www.sparkspin.btinternet.co.uk/vaster.htm
http://www.exploratory.org.uk/building/giant_guitar.htm
ok this is the last one..a gialnt elvis guitar...check here:
http://www.boogiehouse.com/tup_page_1.html

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 05:24 PM

The well known coal-fired "Fender Doncaster"

R

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 09:11 PM

Peter: Yep, read it. And pulled it off the shelf last night to **check** the guitar description before I posted... 8-)

-- Gary

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 10:54 PM

Imp's one in Terry Pratchett's 'Soul Music.' IT played HIM!

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Skivee
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 11:53 PM

THere were many deadly and impressive guitars in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico. I liked the radio-controlled Guitarone torpedo.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 05:26 AM

Robert Johnson's guitar as it appears in Sherman Alexie's novel Reservation Blues.

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 05:34 AM

I only recall one fictional guitar, and it would have a hard time qualifying as a "best". Would a "worst" be okay?

I don't recall the title or author of the book - just some cheap thriller type thing I read a few years ago - but the protagonist had a Martin D-28 custom built with a classical width neck and nylon strings. Now, have you ever, just as a lark, put a set of ball-end nylon strings on that extra D that's in the closet? The one you usually tote along as a backup guitar in case you break a string at a gig? I have. "Horrible" doesn't begin to describe the sound. Nylon strings have strong points and weak points. Dreadnaught bodies have strong points and weak points. Combine them together and you get all the weak points and none of the strong ones. Its sort of like using an outboard motor to power a washing machine. It can be done, but its noisy and inefficient and you'll catch a lot more fish if the outboard is on a boat where it belongs. Oh, I suppose the bracing pattern could be changed to improve the sound, but why bother. If nylon-strung Ds were a good idea don't you imagine one of the multitudinous guitar-makers out there would have one on the market?

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 07:16 AM

writers huh?

Subject: RE: Best fictional guitar
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 04:18 PM

obvious thread drift, but theres a Canadian luthier
making a guitar, from Various famous bits of wood, Pierre Trudeaus
canoe paddle, Wayne Gretzkys hockey stick, piece of the Bluenose,
John A. Macdonalds desk, and the silver spruce on the Queen Charlottes
(the revered tree that was cut down by crazed logger a few years ago)

It was in the news a month or so ago, but heres a bit from an article..

MASTER LUTHIER TO MAKE HISTORICALLY CANADIAN GUITARS:: A New Germany guitar-maker is crafting two uniquely Canadian guitars. Master Luthier George Riszanyi plans to collect wood from historically significant Canadian sources that represent the country's diversity and use them to create two guitars. Riszanyi has collected wood from the Bluenose II, a Wayne Gretzky hockey stick, Pierre Trudeau's canoe paddle and wood that belonged to Sir John A. MacDonald. Riszanyi has made guitars for Keith Richards and James Taylor but calls this project, Six String Nation, the pinnacle of his career. CBC NOVA SCOTIA Link current at Link current at 9:51 a.m.