Rockford "Little Dick" Guitar

Although 150 years separate the careers of Henri Huerta, a violin soloist and composer, and Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist and songwriter for the band Cheap Trick, the musicians took a similar approach to defining their professional personas. Huerta established his identity by assuming the form of his violin. Without even reading the text, viewers who chanced upon posters like this example would have known what Huerta’s concerts held in store. Nielsen inverted this formula with custom-made guitars that function as caricatures. His "Little Dick" version with stylized features, checkerboard motifs, and two necks forming legs is an immediately recognizable embodiment of Nielsen and his signature style.