why is a guitar called an axe
1 to 6 of 6. Octavius. The guitar gets its nickname, Axe, from guitarists breaking thier electric guitars on stage. This is because the most common way to break the guitar would be to swing the guitar in an axe-like motion. Pick any number of old rockers/metal heads, and they have most likely done it at some point. andy hughes. I think it more likely it is just from the shape. If you look at a Gibson SG or aTelecaster, the shape is uniform, and with the neck, it vaguely resembles an axe in shape.