Some players like bolt-ons. Some love offset guitars. Others might need to wrap their arms around a hollowbody electric guitar just to feel human.
We all have our favorite electric guitars – especially experienced players who have played the field and settled down into a happy marriage with their instrument. Ray Toro of My Chemical Romance fame is no different.
If you’ve seen him perform over the years then you’ll know that he will invariably be up there with a Gibson Les Paul in his hands. That’s his jam. Okay, there might occasionally have been an Explorer back in the day but the Les Paul Standard – often fitted with a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker at the bridge, or a pair of Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90s – is his happy place.
But there was one time when he rocked up at Mates Rehearsal Studios in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and had an epiphany. Speaking to Guitar World in 2011, he recalled as almost a spiritual experience the time he got to play a Fender Stratocaster belonging to the GOAT.
“I’m still a Les Paul player, but recently I had the chance to play one of Jimi Hendrix’s Strats,” said Toro. “Totally mind blowing! This guy, Jimmy, from Mates Rehearsal Studios in California, had one. I had shown up at the studio, and I didn’t have a guitar to play, so Jimmy let me play this Hendrix Strat that he got from Jimi’s old guitar tech.”
Needless to say, this got him thinking that there was life beyond the Les Paul. Heck, playing Hendrix’s Strat would give most people a second sight, a view into a dimension not quite our own.
Furthermore, this guy Jimmy let Toro borrow the Strat to use in the studio. Vintage instruments don’t always live up to their rep. Sometimes they sound great and play like dogs, and that’s part of their charm. This, however, this was Jimi Hendrix’s Strat and it did not disappoint.
“The thing was beat to shit, but it was the best-playing guitar ever,” said Toro. “I played it for a year – Jimmy let me use it in the studio. Man, I loved that.”
Did it change Toro? Well yes, yes it did. Or at least it had him leafing through whatever was the equivalent of Reverb was in 2011 (plain old eBay?) in search of Strats, but also Telecasters, too. Go figure.
“Live, I’m still a Les Paul guy, but playing Jimi Hendrix’s Strat really got me interested in Strats and other guitars,” he said. “In fact, I’m in desperate search for the ultimate Tele to play. If I can find one, I’m there.”
Well, if you're reading this, Ray, we're not sure how you feel about PAC-MAN but there's this new Telecaster you might wanna check out...
