Jessie’s Girl hitmaker-turned-actor Rick Springfield may not be the first person that comes to mind when thinking of famous guitar collectors. However, beyond the intriguing, steampunk-style guitars he's been seen playing in recent years, his collection includes a '59 Fender Strat with a questionable backstory.
“I bought [it] off a druggie for $4,000, which I feel terrible about," Springfield tells Guitar World.
“One of my old drummers – I won’t mention who it was because he was doing the drug route himself – said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this friend. He’s got a ’59 Strat, and he needs money.’ He said, ‘He’ll sell it to you for four grand, cash.’”
Despite the finish having been sanded off, all the electronics were original – and Springfield saw potential in the battered Strat. “I had it checked out, gave him four grand for the guitar, and it’s awesome. I had the Tobacco [Sunburst] finish redone on it, and it’s awesome. I love it. It was a great, great deal.”
Among his staple guitars are also a recently acquired ’64 Epiphone Casino, bought as an homage to The Beatles and their guitars, and his trusty Gibson SG, which he used to write his career-making hit and record 1981's Working Class Dog, the album that spawned it.
“I bought it in 1969 in Australia, where I grew up. That was the first good American guitar I’d ever owned,” he recalls of the SG.
“It’s been a really lucky guitar for me, and it has a great sound. I’ve used it a lot in the studio and wrote Jessie’s Girl on it. Back then, if you wanted another guitar, you had to trade in the one you had. It wasn’t like it is now, where once you get some kind of name, they give you guitars.”
He continues, “It’s kind of the reverse of what it should be when you’re starting out. It should be a lot easier to get a great guitar. But that was the one I played. I’ve played it on everything, and it was the main guitar on Working Class Dog for sure.”
Guitar World's full interview with Rick Springfield will be published next month.
