“I bought this one from a pawn shop in Rapid City, South Dakota when I was on tour with The Cult supporting Metallica in the summer of 1989 (16th June). I got it for $400 and it’s the only ever guitar that I’ve bought from a pawn shop, all the others have been from an actual guitar shop or a private person.
I was bored on a day off in Rapid City and there was a lot of shops selling Native Amercian stuff and bric a brac and 99% of the time they sell crap instruments but this one was actually really good so I bought it.
It was an actual natural wood colour 1970’s guitar so I painted the back black leaving the wooden front for the ‘Mick Ronson’ look.”
Billy Duffy – January 2013