The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum


Exclusive Bruce Springsteen Interview Clip (5 of 8)

Thursday, September 10: 5:07 p.m.
Posted by Jim Henke
Springsteen's Fender Esquire guitar

Chief Curator Jim Henke talks to Bruce Springsteen

This is the fifth clip in a series of eight interview audio clips with Springsteen that we will post over the next several weeks.

In this portion of my interview, Bruce Springsteen talks about his most famous guitar, his Fender Esquire. Bruce purchased the guitar – which is a hybrid of a Fender Esquire neck and a Fender Telecaster body — shortly after he signed with Columbia Records in 1972. The became iconic after it was featured on the cover of Born to Run and, in recent years, fans would applaud when Springsteen put it on and played it in concert. The guitar was most recently played at the Super Bowl earlier this year. Much to the surprise of virtually everyone in his camp and at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bruce himself thought the guitar should be included in our exhibit. One morning when I came into work, I got an e-mail from Toby Scott, Bruce’s recording engineer and the person in the Springsteen organization who was working to help me create the exhibit. “You’re not going to believe this, and we can’t believe it,” Toby wrote, “but Bruce wants you to have the Esquire.” To say the least, I was delighted. The guitar is so valuable that, when Bruce was on the road, the guitar rode with him and not with the other instruments. Special arrangements had to be made to get the guitar to Cleveland.  Kevin Buell, Springsteen’s longtime guitar tech, personally flew the guitar to Cleveland and said that I had to be at the Hall of Fame when he arrived so that he could personally turn it over to me. “I’m not handing this guitar to someone I don’t know,” Kevin said. We are very grateful that Bruce wanted to include the guitar in the exhibit, and it is displayed on the sixth floor of the Hall of Fame, smack in the center of a wall covered with several of Bruce’s guitars.

Click here to listen to this clip of the Springsteen interview.

Categories: Interview


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Comments (11)

MUCHAS FELICIDADES JEFE, TE VI EN VALLADOLID ESTE VERANO -IMPRESIONANTE-
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Isabel | Sunday, January 24: 2:07 a.m.

wow, THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL BRUCE. That guitar is very special for us in the audience to. And thanks again for everything you've helped me with!

HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON.

Eddie

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Fitzpatrick19Leah | Wednesday, March 17: 9:34 p.m.

Hi Jim. It's amazing how a guitar (in this casea, my favorite, a telecaster) could become a celebrity in it's own right and become so valuable. The fact that Bruce donated it to your museum must give you a sense of pride that I'm unable to imagine! Plus the fact that it had to be deliverred to you in person is just incredible.

Bob the telecaster fan | Monday, July 26: 1:40 a.m.

That is utterly amazing the Bruce parted with that guitar. I can't even imagine the sort of dollar value an axe with that kind of mileage, history and cache. I wonder how much I'd have to pay to play it?

Nice piece.

Neal | Friday, July 30: 6:29 p.m.

Thanks for this superb site and wonderful read. Your exhibit of the Boss is incredible, and I got shivers looking at the concert posters...remembering.
Greetings from Delaware, forever a Clevelander.

Cheryl Bush | Sunday, August 8: 3:25 p.m.

Very informative post. Thanks for taking the time to share your view with us.

Eli | Monday, September 13: 10:47 a.m.

Quite a special guitar. Amazing to see how he got such a great sound out of it. Not a humbucker in sight.

Steve | Wednesday, November 24: 1:32 p.m.

Wow, and I thought it was "just" a guitar. Kidding there, I know better. Very iconic item and to think he gave it away. What a wonderful thing for all the people who will see it in the future and learn about Bruce.

Yvonne | Thursday, January 27: 4:55 p.m.

Why this guitar sounds positively magical, like it hould be offered up to the entertainment Gods...is it Bruce's "familiar"? That is magical cat or guardian angel in otherworldly terms? Sounds like it...how lovely

Emily | Saturday, September 10: 1:04 a.m.

What an honor to have seen this guitar so up close and personal! I've seen him play it many times at many concerts around the country, but to actually get to look at it and study it was amazing! Thanks so much for the awesome exhibit, and thanks to Bruce for letting it happen.

Heavenly | Friday, January 27: 11:11 a.m.