as seen in Newsweek Magazine

It\'s an incontrovertible fact that guys take up guitar to get girls. But look to your right. How would you do strumming that? Better than you think. "More guys play them than girls," says Tish Ciravolo of her Daisy Rock Girl Guitars. Guys like Beck bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen and Mick Thompson, guitarist for metal outfit Slipknot. Jimmy Page got his at an auction (he outbid his wife). The appeal? The axes are three-quarter scale and made with basswood—much lighter than traditional mahogany. The neck is thinner, so it’s easier to wrap fingers around. This makes it ideal for smaller frames and cramped tour buses. Still, rockers have a rep to defend. Even The Cure’s Robert Smith, who favors mascara and hair gel, takes heat from bandmates for his heart-shaped piece. "They thought it looked softy," says Smith. "But then, they haven’t got any soul."

— Brian Braiker

© 2002 Newsweek, Inc.