As guitarists became iconic, so too did their guitars (take for example Jimi Hendrix’s Fender Stratocaster). While this idolatry of guitarists began mid-twentieth century, idolatry of guitars began considerably later.
You can tell quite a bit about a musician from the guitars he plays. This is not, as it may seem, a superficial judgment of a book by its cover. Rather, an instrument is a legitimate indication of an overall attitude towards the experience of playing and creating music.