Guitar heroes.

Always been a Fender man myself.
There's something so pure about the guitar, both electric and acoustic, its not just an instrument, its a symbol, a weapon. Woody Guthrie had "This guitar kills fascists" daubed on his old acoustic, and I remember Joe Strummer saying how he enjoyed the pain as his fingertips were gouged by the steel of the strings as they pressed into the fingerboard. The guitar is so organic, mythological and beautiful.

Its a gun, a phallus, a woman, a sword, and often its your only true and faithful friend. Exaggerating? Maybe,but think about it.

Its been the timeless platonic object of cool for half a century now. Its one of the few 'consumer products' that does not become obsolete with age, but instead, it matures both in looks and sound and increases in price and desirability.
Guitar worship has its genre's of course.

Strat's are associated with the psychedelic head fuck of Hendrix, long soaring solo's, warm textured twangs and bends, Telecasters belong to that bright Buddy Holly rock 'n roll sound: bottleneck slides, cute trebley licks - the country wing and wang.

Gibson SG's and Les Pauls are heavy rock, the fat thick sound of Jimmy Page on Whole Lotta love and Kashmir, Gary Moore's Parisian walkways, Steve Jones' chainsaw jangle on Pretty Vacant and the bluesy roar of God save the Queen.

Slash let the side down though with his overdone and overproduced pomp rock ramblings - imagine him with a telecaster, the great apeth.

Fender Jaguars, Jazzmasters and the the other retro shapes are the coolest though for me personally.
Tom Verlaine playing Marquee moon, the Grunge of Kurt Cobain and the pure lyrical chord hooks of early Elvis Costello - these are poor songwriter in their garret objects and catalysts of adolescent angst ridden creativity.

The guitar is an 'instrument' in so many ways, both physically, psychically, mythologically and sexually.

I always keep a Strat miniature in my pocket to ward off the malignant spirits of keyboard players. I'm still receiving therapy from bumping into Rick wakeman in 1978.