21. Jazzmaster

Some people call it rickety--the bridge design is a notorious mess--but I prefer finicky. You have to love this guitar to make it sound good.

The Jazzmaster was designed for heavy strings, like 0.13s, which were much more prevalent in the 50s and 60s than they are now. So when it's set up properly, it's more like playing an acoustic guitar with a long neck than your typical light-stringed electric.

More importantly, one's choice of amplification can make or break the the Jazzmaster's sound. When played through a Marshall, I find the highs too glassy. With a Fender amp, this guitar has gravitas. A rich, woody low-end with chiming mids and highs.

Because of the noisy stock pickups, the JM can also produce some lovely feedback. In fact, there is no sound more pleasing to my ear than this guitar, run through two distortion pedals, ringing out a single note that cracks and collapses on itself.

And as this article explains, the Jazzmaster is favoured by many fine musicians: Carl Wilson, Elvis Costello, Tom Verlaine, Thurston Moore, John Frusciante, and my favourite, J Mascis.