Singer Colin Meloy remembers when literally no one was listening to his music. Once his band cracked the mainstream, he found himself missing the artistic freedom that comes with anonymity.

Glass Animals' front man Dave Bayley loves Hofner Guitars, even though he says they are made of 'annoyingly cheap' wood. But it's the guitars' sound that draws him in and has made him a collector. Bayley purchased his guitar in a shop in Denmark Street in London. "It's called 'Guitar Alley'," Bayley says. "There's loads of vintage guitar shops."

A studio tinkerer with a perfectionist streak, Ronson himself admits he can't sing. Instead, he built a reputation on instinct and good taste.

The Strat just turned 60, but the guitar born at the dawn of rock 'n' roll has barely aged a day. NPR Music Librarian Robert Goldstein has more about this iconic instrument.

Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile describes her Collings custom guitar, a guitar make she starting playing based on the recommendation of a songwriting legend.

Nick Lowe accompanied a friend on an errand to a guitar shop in Portland, Ore.; implored to try a guitar by a store employee, Lowe originally dismissed the instrument as "ugly." But after playing it, Nick Lowe bought it. Read the story and learn about the guitar in the latest installment of The Current's Guitar Collection.

It was bright and early to come in to see Bill DeVille in The Current's studio, but Shakey Graves was happy to do it. On only his second time in the Twin Cities, Graves had sold out the Cedar Cultural Center the night before. "I had so much fun," Graves says. "It was a really wonderful crowd." Graves chatted with DeVille and even performed an on-the-fly, standup version of the song, "Call It Heaven."

Mike Doughty keeps two guitars at home so there's always one nearby when an idea strikes him. One of those guitars is always on tour with him, and Doughty took some time to tell us about it and the decals he's applied to personalize the instrument.

During the course of his long career, Keys played with everyone from John Lennon to Eric Clapton, but it was work with the Stones for which he was most famous.

When Nikki Lane was in The Current's studio for a live session, she played a brand-new, shiny, black guitar. Asked about the instrument, Nikki shares a great story that involves a tour of the guitar factory and a great deal of respect for Johnny Cash.