Existing comment:
"Tiger"
1973-1979
Doug Irwin
Immediately after receiving the "Wolf" guitar from Doug Irwin in 1973, Jerry Garcia commissioned "Tiger," telling Irwin to make the most extravagant instrument he was capable of. The instrument -- composed of highly figured exotic woods that are sandwiched and laminated together and embellished with ornate brass bindings and the inlay of a tiger -- took Irwin about two thousand hours of work to complete over six years. Garcia first played "Tiger" on August 4, 1979, at the Oakland Civic Auditorium, and he used it almost exclusively until 1989. It was the last guitar Garcia played publicly with the Grateful Dead, at a performance on July 9, 1995. |