Vince Gill Vince’s first guitar, bought for him by his parents, was a cherry red 1966 Gibson ES-335 that now lives in the Country Music Hall Of Fame. This 1959 Dot-neck is a nod to those beginnings, and one of the holy grails of vintage electric collecting. It’s all original, save for a replacement (vintage) P.A.F. rear pickup. Gill played 335s extensively during his late 70s/early80s stint with Pure Prairie League. It’s often his model of choice for the Time Jumpers gig.
“I spent my early years in Bluegrass,” says Gill,“ and if there’s one guitar that’s ‘the’ instrument in that world, it’d be a pre-war Martin D28. I saw this one at a festival around 1975. A fellow had it for sale. I gave him every dollar I had in the world and my own, much newer D28 for it. So that’s another one that’s been with me a long, long time.”
“I really believe this may be the best Strat I’ve ever heard,” Vince says of his 1959 slab-board Stratocaster. He’s the second guitar hero to own it; bought brand new by the legendary
Duane Eddy, the guitar didn’t see much use in his hands, or after it was passed along to his son. “It gets used a lot these days,” Gill states proudly. “It’s become one of my go-to guitars.”
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