Hard Rock Casino’s showpiece guitar has been installed in Rockford
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The nearly 63-foot tall replica of a checkerboard Hamer electric guitar made famous by rocker Rick Nielsen is now a focal point of the new Hard Rock Casino Rockford.
The massive showpiece, which was made in Baltimore over the course of five months, arrived Wednesday for the start of installation. The guitar is one of the finishing touches to the exterior of the casino, 7801 E. State St., before its Aug. 29 opening.
Related: How the giant showpiece guitar at Hard Rock Casino was made for Rockford
The roughly 7-ton guitar sign was created by Gable, a sign and visual communications company in Baltimore, with feedback on the design from Nielsen himself.
It stretches 38-feet, 6 inches wide and arrived here on four separate semi-trucks.
The guitar is the new focal point of the site where the roughly 100-foot tall Clock Tower stood for 50 years before it was torn down in August 2018.
“This is going to be the new Clock Tower. This is the iconic shot when you get off the highway and come into Rockford, you’re going to know that you’re in Rockford,” Hard Rock Casino Rockford President Geno Iafrate told the Rock River Current last week. “We’re really proud of this project. Really proud to be able to represent Rick and all that he’s done for this community and his amazing music career.”
Hard Rock is in the final stages of preparing the casino to open next week. Last week, it closed the temporary casino at 610 N. Bell School Road to begin moving gaming equipment over and making final preparations for the new casino.
The casino is slated to open right around 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, following Hard Rock’s traditional guitar-smashing ceremony, which is its take on a ribbon-cutting.
Fast facts | Hard Rock Rockford guitar
Height: 62-feet, 10 inches
Width: 38-feet, 6 inches
Weight: 14,000 pounds (approximately, including steel support structure)
Made by: Baltimore-based Gable
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
