Chris Traynor

"I experiment with lots of gear but the stuff I rely on most is my 73 Les Paul custom, which has been on every record I have ever recorded, and my 66 ES 355."

One of his current favorites is a Les Paul Standard that was stripped and refinished by his friend Dave Johnson and Area 59 Hysteric Parts

"I have 2 Kurt Cobain road worns. This is one where I tried to put a gold foil in but I had to change the neck angle and didn't like the way it plays. I love these guitars but I haven't found one that sounds the way I want it to. I'll keep experimenting with different pick ups."

"I have a historic Les Paul Standard and a refinished Explorer. Right now on tour, I have three Les Pauls and an Explorer, and then Gibson just sent me a black American Explorer that I’ve been playing at the Staples Center in Vegas, which I really love. I grew up playing Gibson and fell in love with the shape, and that’s what feels most natural to me and looks the best and sounds the best."

"I experiment with lots of gear but the stuff I rely on most is my 73 Les Paul custom, which has been on every record I have ever recorded, and my 66 ES 355."

you can see in the comments below that image on Instagram that he confirms it was a blacktop baritone telecaster... and you can see him using it in here https://www.instagram.com/p/BEwNKeOLiVS/?taken-by=ct3guitar

"That's my 1969 Stratocaster. The real deal."

Used during Institute era.

You’re stranded on a desert island – which three (3) of the following do you want to have? I’m assuming the Island has electricity, so… Instruments: I want to say my 63 SG junior with a P90 in the bridge, but I’m afraid that would be hard to fix if something happened to it, so I am going to bring a parts telecaster that I put together with a vintage gold foil in the neck. You can drag a tele off the back of a pickup truck and it will still be playable.

Chris Traynor is associated with a 1965 Fender Jazzmaster in sunburst finish, as detailed by Chelsea Guitars. This model features early 1965 specifications, including clay dot inlays, and comes with its original hard shell case (OHSC).

"I just bought a 1968 Martin D-35. I bought it from my friend Doug at Mountain Cat Guitars. The guitar is the rarer 12-fret model with a slotted headstock. I've wanted a D-35 ever since I saw Bernard Butler of Suede play one at an acoustic performance in the Bowery Ballroom.

It's got a beautiful three-piece Brazilian rosewood back and a super-slack tension that's great for fingerpicking or a deep Norman Blake-like bluegrass tone. Normally these guitars are pretty pricey. I've seen them at Guitar Center for upwards of $7,000, but that’s for a super-clean one. Mine's dirty, and I like it that way — a real "player’s guitar."

When I say "player’s guitar" I don't mean it in a "Pimp My Ride" sort of way; nor is it a value judgement on the level of skill a guitarist has. A player’s guitar is a familiar term in the vintage guitar business that means a great-playing vintage guitar that's probably cosmetically messed up with swapped-out parts.

Many guitarists prefer "player’s guitars," because they were mostly likely played to death for a reason; they are great guitars to play. The ones that sat underneath someone's bed in pristine condition for 25 years were obviously not all that inspiring to pick up.

My newly acquired, yet beat-up old Martin is inspiring to pick up and to play. Each crack, ding and dent on it adds more character; just like your favorite pair of jeans or that threadbare T-shirt your girlfriend loves to sleep in."