St. Vincent's signature neon-yellow guitar, made by Ernie Ball Music Man, reflects her experimental riffs and unorthodox style. She says the wild, angular design she created allows "room for a breast or two."

Diverse arrangement in the Roots' music—sousaphones, turntables, live sampling, beatbox, and more—enriches the sounds of hip-hop, pop, and rhythm and blues. Formed in the late '80s, they can now be seen on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Saxophones were king before guitars stole the spotlight. But Clarence Clemons helped re-establish the sax as a lead instrument, with solos on hits like "Thunder Road" and "Jungle Land," with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

The sitar influenced Western music long before psychedelic rock. Ravi Shankar tutored John Coltrane in Indian music and introduced the sitar to the Beatles' George Harrison and the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones.

This well-worn Ovation bass was the instrument of choice for Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth. Outfitted with custom hardware, it symbolized her grunge aesthetic and experimental sound, and embodied the alternative culture of the 1980s and '90s.

Joan Jett's beat-up Gibson Melody Maker conveyed her tough, iconoclastic persona. She plastered the body with stickers announcing "Girls Kick," "Fetish," and "Distortion,” and played it on '80s hits like "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "Bad Reputation."

The face of Jerry Garcia's guitar features a famous cartoon wolf inlay. Fans of the Grateful Dead (or "Deadheads") appreciated the frontman's guitars for their artful designs crafted by luthier Doug Irwin.

"Pictures of Lily" is decorated with nude images of 1900s actress Lillie Langtry. It belonged to the Who's legendary and outrageous drummer, Keith Moon. He was known for destroying his drums onstage, which may have been the fate of this kit's original bass drums.

Wanda Jackson's name reads loud and clear across the face of this acoustic guitar. "The Queen of Rockabilly" challenged the perception of early rock and roll as a boys' club. Beyond being Elvis's touring partner, she had an influential solo career.

Muddy Waters played this electric Telecaster for its slide-guitar sound. Early in his career, he outfitted a Gretsch Synchromatic with an electric pickup to rise above the audience noise in rowdy Chicago clubs, priming the stage for rock and roll.