Gavin Rossdale, Bush’s lead singer and rhythm vocalist, recently sat down for an interview with Guitar World and made statements about the guitar used in the song ‘Hotel California’ by Joe Walsh while revealing his thoughts on the Eagles.
Buying the instruments that were used in the recording of notable songs interests many people. There are even collectors who spend millions of dollars on this. For example, Eric Clapton’s ‘Blackie,’ Bob Dylan’s 1964 Fender Stratocaster, and Bob Marley’s Washburn 22-Series Hawk are each worth around a million dollars, and the idea of owning a guitar like those is a dream for many. However, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale doesn’t seem to be one of them.
It’s safe to say that the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ has acquired a special place in rock history as one of the songs with the most memorable solos. Thus, the equipment the band used to make this song is also considered unique. As it turns out, Gavin Rossdale is the last owner of Joe Walsh’s purple guitar Fender Jazzmaster, which was used in the recording of the hit track.
Undoubtedly, many people would like to be in Rossdale’s shoes. However, the frontman, who spoke about this guitar in a recent interview with the Guitar World, doesn’t seem that impressed. He began by saying that when they told him Joe Walsh had owned this guitar before and played ‘Hotel California’ with it, he replied by saying that he is British and he doesn’t care about the Eagles.
The rocker added that having this guitar didn’t personally excite him, but he still respects the memory of ‘Hotel California’ and the career of the Eagles. Gavin said that he also got Joe Walsh’s statement and signature to prove that it is the original guitar used in the track, but he didn’t sound very excited about the autograph. As it turns out, he only wanted it to prove that Walsh had used it, as he asked his kids to sell it after he passes away because it will bring them a lot of money.
Gavin Rossdale’s statements about his guitar, The Eagles, and Joe Walsch read:
“They told me Joe Walsh had previously owned it. I’m English, so who cares about the Eagles, really? I don’t give a f*ck about the Eagles, but I can respect them even if I don’t listen to them. Everyone else was freaking out about it, but it didn’t really mean much to me.
I was actually being managed by their manager for a long time. So when I met Joe, I asked if he knew this guitar. He picked it up and started playing it, and then said, ‘Yeah, I actually used it for the verses on ‘Hotel California!’
So I got him to sign a bit of paper to prove it, and I told my kids to sell it the day I die – because I’d used it on ‘Sixteen Stone,’ which has some history, but the massive bit of history is the fact that it had been used on ‘Hotel California,’ and of course I respect that, even if I don’t care about it personally.”
Rossdale is Bush’s only surviving original member, and the band continues to play, record, and tour today. The aforementioned guitar was also used in the band’s debut record, ‘Sixteen Stone,’ which makes the instrument all the more precious. Bush recently released an album called ‘The Kingdom’ in 2020, and they have been performing live these days.
