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Among guitar virtuosos with a chaotic career, John Frusciante occupies a prime position. A musician of genius overwhelmed by his addictions, his tortuous life path forced him to part with most of his instruments in his darkest hours. Sold or destroyed in a house fire, his precious guitars escaped him, to be no more than a memory of a more carefree era. After several periods spent in rehab, John Frusciante appeared free of his addictions and rejoined the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1999 at the time of Californication. Following this return, Anthony Kiedis gave him a 1962 Strat, which he used as his lead guitar from the recording of Californication onwards, and on all the band's subsequent albums and tours. It's a tribute guitar to Frusciante's beloved Strat, crafted by Italian luthier Lorenzi to a high standard of resemblance and quality. A guitar highly similar to the prodigy's, to be discovered at Matt's Guitar Shop!
John Frusciante's playing style is characterized by his love of melody, tone and musical structure, and by his particularly inspired flights of fancy. Despite a career that has seen some dark moments, he is still considered by many to be one of the finest contemporary guitarists. Having seen most of his instruments disappear, Frusciante had no decent guitar left when he joined the Red Hot in the late 1990s. So Anthony Kiedis gave him a 1962 Fender Stratocaster in sunburst finish, which became his main guitar on stage and in the studio. He rediscovers his sensations as an inspired guitarist, and uses it on all the tracks on By The Way, among others. Since 1999, most of his live performances have been with this 62' Strat, which he plays for the majority of the set (with the exception of songs requiring another instrument, such as his White Falcon). The guitar already showed a number of signs of wear and patina, which only added to its vintage charm and unique character. Last but not least, the pickguard has taken on a slightly greenish hue over the years. This is a peculiarity of Strats pickguards from the 1960s, which naturally took on this distinctive color as they aged. Amazed by the myth of this guitar, Italian luthier Lorenzi set out to pay homage to this Stratocaster, weathered by age and Frusciante's playing. Each guitar is hand-built in his Italian workshops. The wood and pickups are carefully selected, and the top carefully re-bonded, to produce a guitar that is strikingly close to John Frusciante's Strat 62'. With this guitar, he pays a striking tribute to the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist's original 62, both in sound and in the disturbingly lifelike visuals. Discover it at Matt's Guitar Shop!