Guitars used by John Frusciante during Slane Castle

Given that Live at Slane Castle by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of the most iconic modern Rock concerts recorded on film, probably a lot of young guitarists are wondering what guitars specifically John played that night.

So, for the people who are unfamiliar with guitars, and have wondered what guitars John Frusciante used during Slane Castle – here’s a short list.

1962 Fender Stratocaster

This is basically John’s main guitar – the one he had with him ever since he re-joined the Peppers in 1999. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, when he joined the band, John asked Anthony to borrow him some money, after which he went to a Guitar Center and purchased this exact guitar. At that time, the only other guitar he had was a red 1960s Fender Jaguar – which John didn’t consider to be good enough for recording.

During Slane Castle, John used his 1962 Fender Stratocaster on:

• Intro
• By the Way
• Scar Tissue
• Purple Stain
• Don’t Forget Me
• Venice Queen
• Give It Away
• Under the Bridge
• The Power of Equality

1960s Fender Telecaster Custom

The second most-used guitar that night was John’s 1960s Fender Telecaster Custom. He used that guitar on the following songs:

• Around the World
• Maybe
• Universally Speaking
• Parallel Universe
• Throw Away Your Television
• Havana Affair
• Right on Time
• Can’t Stop

To learn more about the guitar check – John Frusciante’s 1960s Fender Telecaster Custom.

1955 Fender Stratocaster

This is John’s second most used Stratocaster overall. Although he used this guitar only on one song during Slane Castle, the guitar was actually used extensively during the Californication studio session – more so than his 1962 Strat.

The 1955 Fender Stratocaster was used only on:

• Zephyr Song

The read more about this guitar, check – John Frusciante’s 1955 Fender Stratocaster.

1955 Gretsch White Falcon

John considers this particular guitar to be one of the nicer ones that he owns. It’s also one of the most unique guitars in his collection, both in terms of looks and in terms of sound. Once you know which songs were recorded on this guitar, you’ll always be able to recognize it only by its sound.

So, that said, John used the guitar on the same exact songs that he actually recorded using this guitar. They are:

• Otherside
• Californication

More on this guitar at – John Frusciante’s 1955 Gretsch White Falcon.

1940s Martin 0-15

This guitar was used only during an acoustic part near the end of the concert so some of you may have missed it. Nonetheless, this guitar is John’s main and favorite acoustic guitar, also seen during the video of John’s song “The Past Recedes”.

During Slane Castle, John used his Martin 00-15 on:

• Venice Queen

Further Reading

If you’re curious about other guitars and equipment used by John Frusciante check our John Frusciante Gear Page – where you’ll find a chronological list of the gear used by him.