 The Oracle is the genesis of the History of Rock & Roll series—a prototype, a proof of concept, and a prophecy. Though unplayable and ultimately destroyed in a studio fire in 2011, it remains the spiritual first guitar in the collection.
Unlike the others, The Oracle was built from a Stratocaster facsimile made by an unknown manufacturer. Its specs were nearly identical, but its soul was singular. The finishing—lacquer, not nitrocellulose—was done entirely by hand in the studio. Sanding, prep, and paint were all part of the experiment. The neck was painted as well, a decision that rendered the guitar unplayable: pressing strings to the fretboard would scratch the paint. The pickups were installed out of order, their wires cut when the mistake was discovered. But the image remained intact.
The front features a silhouette of a woman, lips slightly parted, poised to release a secret sound. She floats in a cosmic void, surrounded by a sparkling hum. The reverse shows a mouth opened wide, unleashing a spectrum of color—a visual metaphor for rock & roll erupting into the world.
The Oracle was inspired by a moment in an Andrews Sisters song from the WWII era, where one sister growls—a sound more at home in a 1990s garage band than in 1940s swing. That growl, for you, was a signal. A rupture. A prophecy. A voice announcing its disdain, its frustration, its future.
Though it no longer exists, The Oracle lives on as a conceptual cornerstone. It is the first utterance. The spark. The myth before the music.
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