(be honest now)

1. C - Spinal Tap is a must see for any guitar geek. The scenes with the Nigel Tufnel interview are wicked funny, especially when he insists that his secret is that his amp volume goes to 11. Of course, everyone under the sun has tried this and has discovered that they're still the same hack they were before, only louder.

2. C - Eric Clapton was invited by George Harrison to play guitar on one of the Beatles classic guitar cuts. The band, according to George, had not been treating his tunes with the respect that he felt they deserved. Harrison reported that when Clapton showed up to play, suddenly Paul and John had changed their attitude, and took the song more seriously. The feeling at the time was that Clapton's guitar did not sound Beatlesque enough. When Eric left the studio, the engineers ran the tracks through some effects to give them that "Beatle Aura".

3. A - Hendrix probably did more to sell Fender Stratocaster guitars and Marshall amplifiers than any other artist. There are still lots of 50-somethings wandering into guitar shops with Platinum VISA cards attempting to recreate some of that "Jimi Mojo". In certain cases this may be ill-advised. In the words of Dr. Evil, "There's nothing more pathetic than an aging hipster". By the way, it is rumored that Bob and Ray also favored Strats
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4. Of course most music fans would be tempted to say all three. But, in fairness to Dave, the answer is B. Van Halen launched an army of two-handed tappers and motor-cycle dive bombers, and probably did more to launch the big hair/heavy metal guitar styles than any other guitarist. His rhythm chops are often overlooked, but are as equally formidable as his soloing. The bands' much publicized differences with their parade of lead singers would have been much more palatable if the dirty laundry had not been on display in every guitar publication over the last 15 years.

5. A - While it is true that playing in front of a bank of hundred watt Hi-Watts cranked up full, will cause major hearing loss, Pete has (exploding drummers) Keith Moon to thank for his near deafness. Moon put fireworks in the drum kit and set them off at close range to Townsend’s ears. The resulting percussive effect left Pete with serious damage to this hearing
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6. C - Many thought this solo was recorded on Page's signature guitar, the Les Paul. Page was looking for a different tone for this solo, and found it in Telecaster. There are so many conflicting stories about how this solo was recorded. It’s hard to be definitive on the subject. Suffice to say, that if you record a great solo in a great rock song, it will do better than a great solo in a mediocre rock song. At nearly eight minutes long, "Stairway" really messed with AM radio programmers of the day who were used to dealing with three minute tunes. They didn't want to break protocol but couldn't deny the popularity of "Stairway".

7. A - Guitarist Robert Fripp and composer/producer Brian Eno are known for their unusual explorations of the "spacier" aspects of pop music. The two devised a tape loop system dubbed "frippertronics." The entire recording is Fripp playing against tape loops of himself. Fripp is best known as the driving force behind King Crimson. In addition to releasing many solo albums, Eno has produced David Bowie, Talking Heads, Genesis, and U2. Brian's efforts on these albums is also known as "Enosification".

8. C - Christian embodies everything a jazz guitar player wants to be, and he did it all in the 1930's. Known for his excellent tone and inventive lines, Christian set the standard for jazz guitar very early on. Unfortunately, he died at a young age. Story goes when big band leader Benny Goodman showed up for a band rehearsal, Christian sitting there with his amp, uninvited. Annoyed, Goodman figured he'd get rid of the guitar player by counting off a ridiculously fast tempo to make him flail. He was amazed when Christian not only was able to play the tune, but sounded great at the same time. He was asked to join on the spot.

9. C - B.B. King has had several "Lucille's" over the years. This signature, Gibson ES 355 sound has been forever linked to B.B. The name came about after a fire was started in a club where King was playing by two men fighting over a woman named "Lucille". King ran back into the burning building to save his guitar, narrowly avoiding perishing himself (there were two fatalities). Angry at himself over his stupidity, King has named all of his guitars since "Lucille” as a reminder to never again do something as stupid as run into a burning building.

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