It’s commonly assumed that guitarists with legendary status have access to any instrument they desire. Yet, despite their iconic careers, Prince, Robert Fripp, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett all became trailblazing musicians while playing guitars that were copies of the famous Gibson and Fender models, rather than the original big-name brands.
Prince’s Hohner-made Mad Cat Telecaster copy is perhaps the most famous of the trio, proudly sitting in his extensive collection of guitars, each reflecting his larger-than-life personality. Alongside his numerous Cloud guitars and Vox-HDC-77, Prince owned and played several six-strings that caught the attention of fellow guitarists. However, none were used as frequently as his modified Telecaster copy.
Notably, the Mad Cat took center stage during his memorable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance in 2004, where Prince proved why Rolling Stone should have placed him on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time the year before.
The Mad Cat stood out from the usual Telecaster design in several ways. It featured an ash body with a flamed maple top, a walnut strip down the middle, a hardtail bridge more often associated with Stratocasters, and a distinctive leopard-print pickguard.
Hohner produced just over 500 Mad Cats in the 1970s, and it’s said that Prince acquired one from a gas station for a mere $30. Over time, he made various modifications, including replacing the original pickups with Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups and later swapping them out for Kinman Traditional pickups. He also had a wireless receiver built into the body of the guitar for the Purple Rain tour, a modification also applied to his Purple Sadowsky Tele at the same time.
Then there’s Robert Fripp, who favored Japan-built Tokai and Fernandes copies of the Les Paul. Fripp is rarely seen without his Goldtop Fernandes, which features a Seymour Duncan bridge pickup, a Roland synth pickup in the bridge position, and a Fernandes Sustainer at the neck, all paired with a whammy-friendly tremolo system. These modifications underscore why Gibson’s traditional design didn’t meet his needs.
Like his King Crimson bandmate Adrian Belew, Fripp later incorporated guitar synthesizers into his sound, which continues with his Tokai LP-type, outfitted with the Roland GR-1 synth system.
Fripp explained his choice, saying, “Why? Because it does two or three things that nothing else does. The GR-1 has a fretless bass sound that is breathtaking, which I would use to have fun with Tony Levin. Tony would be doing some upright slides, and I might slip in some fretless. Tony would look up wondering where the bass sound was coming from.”
He also praised its capabilities for creating stunning low-end soundscapes and its piano sound, which he had used extensively in the ProjeKcts. Although Fripp hasn’t used the piano sound since 2003, its impact on his work was undeniable.
While it may seem odd to include Kirk Hammett in this list, given his recent work with Gibson and his ownership of the legendary “Greeny” Les Paul once owned by Peter Green, his early years with Metallica were shaped by a Fernandes FST-13 Stratocaster copy. Hammett’s FST-13, affectionately nicknamed “Edna,” was a key part of the band’s sound during the Ride the Lightning era, just a year after their rough start to touring. The same guitar was later featured on the cover of Metallica’s $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited.
Though Hammett has since moved to Gibson guitars, his early support for Fernandes — a brand that filed for bankruptcy last year — helped introduce the brand to metal guitarists worldwide in the early ‘80s.
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