Editing Pete Townshend (section)

=== Guitars ===
[[File:BouncingTownshend.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Townshend leaping into air in concert]]
Throughout his solo career and his career with the Who, Townshend has played a large variety of guitars—mostly various [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], and [[Rickenbacker]] models. He has also used [[Guild Guitar Company|Guild]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/guild12.html|title = Guild F-612XL 12-string acoustic guitar &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs}}</ref> [[Takamine Guitars|Takamine]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/takamine.html|title = Takamine Guitars &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs}}</ref> and [[Gibson J-200]] [[Acoustic guitar|acoustic]] models, with the J-200 providing his signature recorded acoustic sound in such songs as "[[Pinball Wizard]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/gibson-montana-sj-200-standard|title=Gibson Montana SJ 200 Standard review|website=[[MusicRadar]]|date=5 May 2018}}</ref>

In the early days with the Who, Townshend played an Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe and 6-string and 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars primarily (particularly the Rose-Morris UK-imported models with special f-holes). When the excited audience responded enthusiastically after he accidentally broke the head off his guitar on a low ceiling during a concert at the Railway Hotel pub in [[Wealdstone]], west London, he incorporated the eventual smashing of his instrument into the band's performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/pete-townshends-guitar/|title=Pete Townshend's Guitar|first=Online Museum|last=Victoria and Albert Museum|date=3 May 2011|publisher=Victoria and Albert Museum|access-date=12 May 2019}}</ref> However, as [[Smashing guitars|instrument-smashing]] became increasingly integrated into the Who's concert sets, he switched to more durable and resilient (and, importantly, cheaper) guitars for smashing, such as the [[Fender Stratocaster]], [[Fender Telecaster]] and various [[Danelectro]] models.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/danelectro.html|title=Danelectro Guitars &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs|website=Thewho.net}}</ref> On the Who's ''[[Smothers Brothers#The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour|The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'' appearance in 1967, Townshend used a [[Vox (musical equipment)|Vox]] Cheetah guitar,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/technique/10-things-you-gotta-do-to-play-like-pete-townshend-tab|title=10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Pete Townshend|first=Jesse|last=Gress|website=GuitarPlayer.com|date=12 May 2023 }}</ref> which he only used for that performance; the guitar was destroyed by Townshend and Moon's drum explosion. In the late 1960s, Townshend began playing [[Gibson SG]] Special models almost exclusively. He used this guitar at the [[Woodstock]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/the-who-s-guitar-is-smash-hit-of-woodstock-display-6754706.html|title=The Who's guitar is smash hit of Woodstock display|newspaper=Evening Standard |date=12 April 2012}}</ref> and [[Isle of Wight Festival|Isle of Wight]] shows in 1969 and 1970, as well as the ''[[Live at Leeds]]'' performance in 1970.

By 1970, [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] changed the design of the SG Special that Townshend had been using previously, and he began using other guitars. For much of the 1970s, he used a [[Gibson Les Paul#Deluxe|Gibson Les Paul Deluxe]], some with only two mini-[[humbucker]] pick-ups and others modified with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a [[DiMarzio]] Superdistortion / Dual Sound). He can be seen using several of these guitars in the documentary ''The Kids Are Alright'', although in the studio he often played a '59 [[Gretsch 6120]] guitar (given to him by [[Joe Walsh]]),<ref name="auto"/> most notably on the albums ''[[Who's Next]]'' and ''[[Quadrophenia]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/the-secrets-behind-pete-townshends-tone-on-the-whos-wont-get-fooled-again|title=The secrets behind Pete Townshend's tone on The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again|first=Chris|last=Gill |website=Guitarworld.com|date=8 July 2019|access-date=4 February 2020}}</ref>

During the 1980s, Townshend mainly used Fenders, Rickenbackers and Telecaster-style models built for him by [[Schecter Guitar Research|Schecter]] and various other [[luthier]]s. Since the late-1980s, Townshend has used [[Eric Clapton Stratocaster|Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster]]s with [[Lace Sensor]] pick-ups,<ref name="auto"/> both in the studio and on tour. Some of his Stratocaster guitars feature a Fishman PowerBridge piezo pick-up system to simulate acoustic guitar tones. This piezo system is controlled by an extra volume control behind the guitar's bridge.

During the Who's 1989 tour, Townshend played a Rickenbacker guitar that was ironically smashed accidentally when he tripped over it. Instead of throwing the smashed parts away, Townshend reassembled the pieces as a sculpture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/pete-townshends-smashed-rickenbacker-takes-more-than-78k-at-auction|title=Pete Townshend's Smashed Rickenbacker Takes More Than $78K at Auction|first=Christopher|last=Scapelliti|website=GuitarPlayer.com|date=17 May 2023 }}</ref> The sculpture was featured at the ''Rock Stars, Cars And Guitars 2'' exhibit during the summer of 2009 at [[The Henry Ford]] museum.

[[File:Pete Townshend 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|Townshend playing a Fender [[Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster]]]]

There are several [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] Pete Townshend signature guitars, such as the Pete Townshend SG, the Pete Townshend J-200, and three different Pete Townshend Les Paul Deluxes. The SG was clearly marked as a Pete Townshend limited edition model and came with a special case and certificate of authenticity, signed by Townshend himself. There was a Pete Townshend signature [[Rickenbacker]] limited edition guitar of the model 1998, which was his main 6-string guitar in the Who's early days. The run featured 250 guitars that were made between July 1987–March 1988, and according to Rickenbacker CEO John Hall, the entire run sold out before serious advertising could be done.

He also used the [[Gibson ES-335]], one of which he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe. Townshend also used a [[Gibson EDS-1275]] double-neck very briefly circa late 1967, and both a [[Harmony Company|Harmony]] Sovereign H1270<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/guitar/equip-harmony12.html |title=Pete's Equipment, Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string acoustic guitar, Whotabs, Pete Townshend |website=Thewho.net |access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref> and a [[Fender Electric XII]] for the studio sessions for ''[[Tommy (rock opera)|Tommy]]'' for the 12-string guitar parts. He also occasionally used Fender Jazzmasters on stage in 1967 and 1968<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/fenderjazzmaster.html|title=Fender Jazzmaster &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear|website=Thewho.net|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref> and in the studio for ''Tommy''.