Richie Sambora
\n(1959)<\/p>\n
Band: Bon Jovi
\nMain guitar: Fender Stratocaster Signature
\nMust-hear track: Livin\u2019 On A Prayer<\/p>\n
This is how the history of rock goes: for every Mick Jagger, there\u2019s a Keith Richards. For every Steven Tyler, a Joe Perry. For every Robert Plant, a Jimmy Page. For every superstar frontman who sets crowds on fire, there\u2019s a brooding, endlessly cool guitarist holding down the fort \u2014 stepping into the spotlight only for brief, explosive thirty-second bursts.<\/p>\n
Richie Sambora joined New Jersey-based Bon Jovi in 1983, just a few months after the band was formed. From the start, Sambora\u2019s playing and personality perfectly complemented frontman Jon Bon Jovi. Together, they formed a songwriting duo that would produce some of the biggest hard rock hits ever \u2014 songs that are still staples of radio airplay. Their real breakthrough came in 1986 with the album Slippery When Wet<\/em>, on which Sambora co-wrote nine of the ten tracks, including the three mega-hits: Livin\u2019 On A Prayer<\/em>, You Give Love A Bad Name<\/em>, and Wanted Dead Or Alive<\/em>. Sambora\u2019s playing on the album is fast, precise, energetic, and inventive \u2014 clearly influenced by Van Halen like most guitar heroes of the time, but with a unique touch all his own. His gift for impactful arrangements shines through in the use of a twelve-string on Wanted\u2026<\/em>, the pitch shifter in the solo of You Give Love A Bad Name<\/em>, and, of course, the iconic talkbox in Livin\u2019 On A Prayer<\/em>.<\/p>\n From then on, the band skyrocketed to global stardom, playing to massive crowds of euphoric fans around the world. Bon Jovi\u2019s genius was in maintaining relevance across decades, consistently finding success with new generations of listeners. The band topped the charts again in 1994 with Always<\/em>, and once more in 2000 with It\u2019s My Life<\/em> \u2014 also co-written by Sambora \u2014 proving their staying power with a younger audience that still follows them to this day.<\/p>\n Struggling with personal demons, Sambora was forced to leave the band in 2013, right in the middle of yet another world tour. Since then, he formed the band RSO with his former partner Orianthi and has shown a growing interest in the Telecaster and Esquire models \u2014 a notable shift for a guitarist long associated with flashy superstrats during his Bon Jovi days. Richie Sambora\u2019s musical journey is far from over, and it likely still holds many surprises in store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At Matt\u2019s Guitar Shop, we love working closely with artists and discovering their stage-played instruments in hopes of uncovering their deep, mysterious secrets. After selling several guitars from Richie Sambora\u2019s personal collection, we continue to offer stage-used instruments built for Richie and played live. This black Floyd Rose Prototype is one of those very special guitars \u2014 built by Floyd Rose and played on stage by Richie multiple times. A direct witness to his legendary guitar playing!<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond being an incredibly talented guitarist, Richie Sambora is also a brilliant songwriter \u2014 he\u2019s the one who shaped many of Bon Jovi\u2019s greatest hits. As a demanding and passionate musician, he worked closely with major guitar brands to design his own custom models. After collaborations with Fender and Kramer, Richie had several guitars built specifically for him by Floyd Rose.<\/p>\n This Floyd Rose guitar is a unique prototype made exclusively for Richie Sambora and never went into mass production. It was crafted with very specific technical features tailored to Richie\u2019s preferences: a Floyd Rose Speedloader tremolo system, two humbucking pickups, and a one-of-a-kind pearloid pickguard designed just for this instrument. Richie Sambora truly molded these guitars to match his playing style and tone. This particular guitar was extensively used by Richie on stage, as shown by the wear marks on the back and sides \u2014 unmistakable traces of his hands and performances. Several photos show Richie Sambora playing this exact guitar live. An exceptional piece with remarkable provenance!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[358,361,352,353],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16793","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-guitars","7":"product_cat-electric-guitars","8":"product_cat-artists","9":"product_cat-sold","10":"pa_artiste-richie-sambora-en","11":"pa_disponibilite-sold","12":"pa_marque-floyd-rose-en","14":"first","15":"outofstock","16":"shipping-taxable","17":"purchasable","18":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n