“I’m not like Joe Bonamassa or Kirk!”: Jerry Cantrell reveals the most he’s ever spent on a guitar
Cantrell owns “maybe 100” guitars, but he won’t fork out prices nearing the millions for a rare axe…
Image: Scott Legato / Getty
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Alice In Chains’ Jerry Cantrell might be happy to pay a pretty penny for a good guitar, but is by no means a collector.
Unlike artists such as blues rocker Joe Bonamassa – who collects hundreds of rare and vintage gear items – or Kirk Hammett of Metallica – who famously owns Peter Green’s 1959 “Greeny” Les Paul – Cantrell has confirmed he isn’t willing to part with hundreds of thousands of dollars for an instrument.
Responding to a fan question in the print edition of Metal Hammer, Cantrell shares he owns “maybe 100” guitars: “I think the last guitar I got was from Gibson. They gave me a pink champagne sparkle Flying V.”
He adds, “I still buy guitars but I’m not like Joe Bonamassa or Kirk. Kirk will spend a quarter-million, half-million dollars on a guitar. He’s got Peter Green’s guitar; Slash has a few of them too: some pretty spendy ‘59 Les Pauls. I think 12 or 15 grand may be the most I’ve ever spent on a guitar.”
Bonamassa is one of the most avid gear collectors, with over 650 guitars in his ownership. Many of his axes are safely stored at his Nerdville home museum, where most items are “completely unmodified, completely in mint condition. With no changes whatsoever.”
Late last year he explained why most of them don’t get played: “Some guitars even have the original strings,” he said. “Now, those guitars don’t need to be disturbed and beat up for anything, but I have stuff that I do play. You know the stuff that’s on the road.”
He went on to expand, “If you’re just a collector of things then you want to buy the cleanest, most original example of whatever you’re collecting, because that will always hold a value. If you’re a player, you don’t want to drive a race car with bad tires. So yeah, I have to toe the line.”
Cantrell released his fourth solo album, I Want Blood, back in October. You can buy or stream it now.
Rachel began writing for Guitar.com in 2021 while finishing up her degree. A proud DIY guitarist, she has been playing for over 10 years and has written for the likes of Kerrang!, The Forty-Five, and MusicTech. An enjoyer of all things heavy, you’ll find her at a festival or downtuning her guitars when away from her desk.