APPETITE FOR COLLECTING

RICHARD FORTUS IS at his home in St. Louis, Missouri. He recently returned from a spate of club gigs with electronic rock experimentalists Headtronics and is currently in the midst of producing a new album for the Psychedelic Furs. After that, he’s heading back out on the road for an arena tour around the United States and Mexico with Guns N’ Roses, with whom he’s been playing since 2002.

While being immersed in such a broad variety of gigs over the years, Fortus has constantly strived to refine his tone and find inspiration with new sounds, often in the form of new guitars. After all, “We’re pushed and inspired by our own tone,” he reminds us. Fortus opened his home to offer Guitar Player a rare look at some of his favorite instruments, all of which are part of a jaw dropping collection that could rival the inventory of many a vintage-guitar shop.

How did you amass such a great collection of guitars and