Description
silver locket in about 1″ long …..
This unique locket features and engraved tiger from Jerry’s Irwin guitar.
A tribute to Jerry Garcia’s most legendary instrument, this locket honors “Tiger” — the custom guitar that remains one of the most storied instruments in rock history.
The history behind the guitar:
In 1973, fresh off receiving his first Doug Irwin custom build, nicknamed “Wolf,” Jerry Garcia went right back to luthier Doug Irwin and asked for another. Built from a dense sandwich of exotic woods including cocobolo, maple, and padauk, finished with ornate brass binding and inlaid with a mother-of-pearl tiger design, the guitar that would become known simply as “Tiger” took roughly 2,000 hours of work and six full years to complete.
Garcia finally debuted Tiger onstage on August 4, 1979, at the Oakland Civic Auditorium, and it quickly became his main guitar through the 1980s — prized for the sheer range of tones it gave him to work with. Of all of Garcia’s instruments, Tiger logged more stage time than any other.
Its final chapter is the stuff of Deadhead legend: at Garcia’s last-ever performance with the Grateful Dead, at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 9, 1995, technical trouble forced him to switch guitars mid-encore — making Tiger the very last guitar Jerry Garcia ever played live.
The piece:
Crafted in sterling silver, this locket captures a piece of that legacy — a wearable nod to the instrument that helped define Garcia’s sound through some of the Dead’s most beloved years on stage.
Details:
- Solid sterling silver locket
- Inspired by Jerry Garcia’s Doug Irwin–built “Tiger” guitar
- Pendant/charm sold without chain — browse our chain collection here
- Explore more Grateful Dead–inspired jewelry
