Roy Rogers was one of the most beloved singing cowboys in the early representation of Western life on the big screen. With his beginnings rooted in music as a member of the Sons of The Pioneers, Roy was an influential musician and when he moved to the moving pictures and television, he brought his guitars along. Have a Listen to "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and drift back to 1934.
While appraising Roy's collection of Martin Guitars for Christie's Auction House, John Woodland of Mastery Bridge unearthed a '62 Jazzmaster that belonged to Roy. Here you can see the Christie's listing with a description of Roy's career and a single faded photo if the guitar. Note that where the should be a toggle switch, there was an amp jewel!
Roy Rogers Jr informed John that his father had purchased the Jazzmaster to perform at the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, but had it repainted to match one of his Western Suits made by the famous Nudie Cohen. The guitar was auctioned by Christie's to Nels Cline, who was encouraged by Woodland to take a look at the instrument, and now resides at The Loft in Chicago. Inspired by this remarkable and historical instrument, we paid a visit to "Roy" to inspect it, and have one of our very own made to honor the legacy.
Specs:
- Alder body
- Raspberry Smoothie
- Spitfire guard
- Amber switch tip
- 7.25" Radius
- 1 11/16 nut width
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- C neck profile
- Mastery M1 & OMV
- Lollar Black Bobbin® Exclusive pickups
- Vintage Inspired 280k pots
- Serial # 0032
- Black Bobbin® hardshell case