Billy Squier

AKA. The Pink-O-Master

All that I'm writing here is lost information from the defunct "Strings & Things" website I visited in the late 1990's. They used to have a article on Billy Squier's custom pink Bluesmaster used in the Ill-fated "Rock Me Tonite" video - strangely this is one of his best known guitars despite me never having seen it outside that music video.

The guitar was custom built for Squier in 1983 for use on the "Signs of Life" album and tour, and it got done just prior to the video shoot of his career damaging video "Rock Me Tonight" in which the guitar is used. The current whereabouts of this particular guitar is unknown.

Billy Squier has used at least 3 Les Paul Standard Bursts in his career, one was stolen from the recording Studio around the time of Emotions In Motion (circa 1983), he got a second one, a 59' Burst, from a guy in the midwest.

SEE THE FULL ARTICLE HERE - QUOTES ADDED BELOW https://www.vintageguitar.com/3221/billy-squier/

My next move was to swap my ’57 Strat for a similar one with a whammy bar, in ’76. I acquired the Tele Custom for Tale of the Tape around the time I hooked up with Richie Friedman at We Buy Guitars on 48th Street. After Don’t Say No, he got me my first ‘Burst – a ’58.

I was given a ’58 Burst by my merchandiser and friend, Peter Lubin, at the start of the second leg of the Emotions tour. After my original ’58 was stolen, I eased the pain by buying a ’59 from a guy in the Midwest. I also went back to Richie and picked up a ’58 goldtop that had previously belonged to Henry Gross, who previously owned my ’58 Burst. I found the ’58 Rick from a collector named Richard Heyman, in the East Village; he had a bunch of them. That must have been around 1990 or ’91. During a photo shoot in L.A. for the Truth album, I borrowed a ’52 goldtop that had been refinished in green and black, and I liked it so much that I went back to the shop and bought it. That was in early ’93.

I don’t remember what I used on the solo for “Nobody Knows” because I tracked it a bunch of times, so the resulting sound isn’t tone-specific. It was definitely a Paul, however, and my guess would be my ’58 ‘Burst. These days, I play a ‘Burst when we do “I Need You” and “Nobody Knows,” so that makes me think I did the same on the record.

Probably the best known guitar in Billy's collection besides the Strings & Things St. Blues (Pink) - This was the guitar he was holding on the front of the "Don't Say No" breakthrough album - the one "In the Dark", "My Kinda Lover", and the big hit "The Stroke" came from.

Here's a Vintage Guitar Article - with Pics even - all about the guitars Squier has used through his career - https://www.vintageguitar.com/3221/billy-squier/

Which guitars and amps do we hear on the album? My 1960 Fender Tele Custom was really the guitar of record, excuse the pun… It’s the one you hear on “In The Dark,” “My Kinda Lover,” “You Know What I Like,” “Too Daze Gone,” and “Lonely Is The Night.”

When and how did the others come along? My next move was to swap my ’57 Strat for a similar one with a whammy bar, in ’76. I acquired the Tele Custom for Tale of the Tape around the time I hooked up with Richie Friedman at We Buy Guitars on 48th Street. After Don’t Say No, he got me my first ‘Burst – a ’58.

In a live performance video of "In The Dark" from November 20, 1981, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Billy Squier is seen playing a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. Known for his custom wiring modifications, Billy developed a unique setup for his Stratocasters to achieve all seven pickup combinations without altering the instrument's original appearance. This innovative wiring approach stemmed from his desire to replicate Eric Clapton's out-of-phase sounds without compromising the guitar's integrity.

Billy uses a Gibson Les Paul Junior in this performance video

Billy Squier can be seen singing into a Shure SM-57 in this YouTube video of a live performance in 1981.

Billy Squier confirmed in a quote that he used a 1960 Telecaster Custom, and this guitar is featured on the cover of the "Don’t Say No" album. He also frequently used it live. The specific model he used had a double-bound body, a white pickguard, one volume, and one tone knob, and it featured two single-coil pickups (bridge and neck). This can be seen in the live performance of "Too Daze Gone" recorded on November 20, 1981, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.