“I’m driving home right now and it’s in the back seat!”: Inside John 5’s relationship with his number 1 guitar, Ghost
John 5 has a very close relationship with his Ghost Telecaster. The guitar inspired the name of his most recent album, and he travels absolutely everywhere with it.
The guitar was launched as a signature model by Fender in 2023, featuring a top-bound alder body and one-piece maple neck finished entirely in an Arctic White gloss, coupled with red appointments and a mirrored pickguard/control plate. The unique model is also equipped with a pair of DiMarzio D Activator humbuckers that are designed to “replicate the sound of active pickups in a passive format”.
READ MORE: “It’s your phone – I don’t mind”: Why John 5 is against phone bans at live shows
Speaking to Guitar World, he says of his beloved axe, “My Ghost is Number 1. It was put together when Fender did a collaboration with [NYC skateboarding and streetwear brand] Supreme. I thought, ‘This guitar is strikingly beautiful. I want to do a guitar like this.’ That’s where we came up with it, and it’s by far my favourite. I even named a record after it! [2025’s Ghost]
“I feel safe with the Ghost. I know I’m not gonna have problems live or in a studio. It’ll stay in tune and sound and feel great. It’s like when you’re getting on an airplane, and you’re like, ‘I don’t know about this,’ but then you get on a really nice one, a beautiful double-decker, and you think, ‘This is gonna be amazing.’”
He adds, “That’s how it is with the Ghost! I travel with it everywhere. In fact, I’m driving home right now from Joshua Tree, and I have my Ghost in the back seat. So yeah, it’s important.”
John 5 is one of very few rock artists to play a Tele, and he previously likened it to “wearing a cowboy hat to a Slayer concert”. On an episode of The Kenny Aronoff Sessions, he said, “I loved music just like any kid, and I loved TV. I would see clips of bands playing on TV, and I was really drawn to it, for some reason. You know, it kind of picks you.” He later added: “It’s just weird, and I wasn’t trying to be weird. It’s just what I’ve always played.”
You can catch John 5 on the road this summer with Mötley Crüe for their Return Of The Carnival Of Sins tour. Find out more via the Mötley Crüe website.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
