Figured I might as well share these: 

 

 

 

 

 

Big THANKS! to Tim for letting me grab these pictures as he was trying to round up the gear and load out. 

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That's how you become great, man, hang your balls out there.

Thanks redsand for sharing, those pics are awsome!

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"I wasn't born with enough middle fingers"

(Thanks to Kadyia)

Way cool - thanks so much for sharing!

I would love to have seen his guitars up close!

 

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"We play so fine, don't you agree?" ~ Layne Staley

"We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend." ~ Jerry Cantrell

Cheetah is sleeping, thanks for the pics Red, very cool!!

....very cool, Reds ......the Deg Trip guitar

 

Somewhere  I have a pix of Jerry carrying out his equipment back in the (early) 2001 solo days.....or, I should say the only guitar he carried himself, was the Blue Dress

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Check out WILLIAM'S OTHER BAND
CWTF music page: http://www.comeswiththefall.com/music.html
Newest music: http://www.myspace.com/comeswiththefall

I've got to see both the rampage and now the Cheetah upclose and they are pretty cool guitars.  (Saw the custom built Blue Les Paul Custom as well)  The blue dress rampage was there too, but Tim was trying to get everything packed, so I didn't want to be like, "Now can I see this?  And how about that?  Okay, what about this one?"  lol

 

I normally don't carry a camera around with me, because I've always been worried about them getting taken away.  I had made sure I had it with me this time because I was hoping to get some pictures with Ann and Nancy, when I found out they had already taken off I was sort of bummed.  So I figured I'd at least try to get some type of cool and unique picture.  I mean I already have shots of me and the guys... well other then with Mike, and everyone always gets pictures with the guys... I figured I need something new so I got pictures of their legendary gear.  I was half tempted to pick that thing up and run out the door.  I think I could have made it.  I don't know what you'd do with a stolen high profile guitar like that though, other then get your ass kicked and thrown in jail.  

 

I don't know if you can really do anything with the Serial number of one of those things... which I don't believe that is the correct case and serial number for that guitar anyways, but I crossed it out figuring Jerry probably doesn't need to have that info all over the internet.   

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That's how you become great, man, hang your balls out there.

Cool story...

So does anyone know the story behind the Cheetah?  I've always been curious as to how it came to be and what the circumstances were.... like... did he accidentally drop a cig on it and decided to go from there or did he actively make the decision to do it.... "Hmm... I think I'll put burn marks all over my guitar."

You'll have to excuse my ignorance if the story's widely known...... I've just never heard.

 

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"We play so fine, don't you agree?" ~ Layne Staley

"We want to celebrate what we did and the memory of our friend." ~ Jerry Cantrell

....he first explained it in the 2001 Guitar One mag interview (the one with him on the cover up against  the brick wall at Slims in San Francisco).....he did that on purpose

But then, Jerry's always decorated his guitars  

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Check out WILLIAM'S OTHER BAND
CWTF music page: http://www.comeswiththefall.com/music.html
Newest music: http://www.myspace.com/comeswiththefall

I believe that is one of multiple guitars that Gibson gave him around 1998 or so.  And as you probably already know it is the guitar that he wrote D-Trip on.  It was pretty much just that guitar and a 4 track recorder.  Part-ways through he broke part of the headstock off of it, but it was still playable, and he even claims it stayed in tune.  I think since then it really has been his main axe.  He's got 2 generations.  There is the Alice in Chains Jerry, with the Rampage, and then the Jerry Cantrell, Jerry, with the Cheetah.  The back has D-Trip, JC 99-00 burnt on the back of it as well.

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That's how you become great, man, hang your balls out there.

That is awesome. I love the Cheetah guitar. Did they let you touch it?

Funny thing was Timmy just opened the case and walked off... I could have ran off with the thing if I really wanted to, not that a would. I didn't want to pull it out of the case, and wasn't trying to get much attention drawn over to the gear, I believe there was only one other person who saw what was going on, but there were at least a hundred back stage. I just wanted to get some up close shots of the fabled fiddle... I've seen and held the rampage, and there are loads of pics all around of it, but very few of the Cheetah. Jerry's and his techs are pretty cool about letting fans see and hold his gear. It's kind of funny actually, we look up to these things like they are sacred, and they act like they are just another guitar.

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That's how you become great, man, hang your balls out there.