all right, my dear kind patient learned Keith Guitar Connoisseurs -
i hope you've had lovely holidays, because i'm back to my inquisitive ways.
i'm craving to learn more about Keith's semihollow & hollowbody guitars over the years.
everybody knows the red and black Gibson ES-355s that he uses on stage, of course,
but a couple that he keeps in the background have been intriguing me a lot.

this first one is the ES-350 that he talks a bit about on his website;
he uses it on The Spider & the Fly on Stripped.

Ask Keith Question 93: In a few rare photos and videos of you pre-gig,
you seem to favor a beautiful blond Gibson ES-350 (early 50s with three pots).
What feeling does this guitar give you that makes it special for you to pick up before going on stage?
Keith: Oh, it's too good to take on stage. I'm really afraid of breaking it or something,
you know, by making a silly move. And it's a big guitar. I love it for the studio,
I love it to be in the dressing room, and it's such a beautiful round sound.


- july 1998, by Claude Gassian (courtesy of Jaggergirrl)

this looks like same guitar with a different tailpiece in 1989 or 90 -
according to that great vintage guitar site, the "trapeze" tailpiece it has now is what this model was issued with,
so i guess some owner must have changed it to that "squiggly T" before Keith acquired it.


- 1989 or 90, courtesy of BrownEyedGirll


- likewise



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:23 by with sssoul.

ahem, by "that great vintage guitar site" i mean this one here: [www.provide.net]

where they say this about Gibson ES-350s:

ES-350 Electric Archtop
Available: 1947 to 1956
Collectibility Rating: B- (1952 to 1956 models with spruce tops are more desireable
because of the volume/tone control layout, but most have plywood maple tops and not spruce.)

1947 ES-350 introduction specs: Originally called ES-350P (premier). Rounded cutaway version of ES-300.
17" wide, 1 P-90 pickup, trapeze tailpiece with pointed ends and 3 raised parallelagrams,
laminated beveled-edge pickguard, triple bound top and back, single bound peghead and fingerboard,
double-parallelagram fingerboard inlays, crown peghead inlay, gold plated parts, sunburst or natural finish.

1948 ES-350 specs: 2 P-90 pickups, 2 volume knobs on lower treble bout,
master tone knob on cutaway bout.

1952 ES-350 specs: standard Gibson 2-PU knob configuration of 2 volume knobs
and two tone knobs and a 3-way switch.

1956 ES-350 specs: Tune-o-matic bridge.
ES-350 Discontinued 1956. Replaced by the ES-350T thinline version.

from the 1949 Gibson catalogue, which shows the 1948 model -
seems like Keith's must be from 1948-51?





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:29 by with sssoul.

okay so ... here's the ES-350T that was recently auctioned:


- oct 07 2000 (thanks BEG!), courtesy Cooper Owen Images


- courtesy of Heritage Galleries

i found the close-up on this site here:
[scoop.diamondgalleries.com]
does anyone know if the statement that Keith used this instrument during Stones concerts is accurate?




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2005-12-28 12:23 by with sssoul.

or there's this one - is that an early-50s ES-175D?? both the shots are from the 1996 sessions for Scotty Moore's album All the King's Men:


- 1996, courtesy of ScottyMoore.net


- 1996, courtesy of Jim Herrington

here's Scotty Moore's website - there's a lot of cool stuff on it:
[www.scottymoore.net]

if what Keith's got above is indeed a 175D, i guess it's from sometime between 51 and 57:

from [www.provide.net]:

ES-175 Electric Archtop
Available: 1949 to present
Collectibility Rating: 2 pickup models: B, 1 pickup models: C.
1949 ES-175 introduction specs: 16 1/4" wide, pointed cutaway, one P-90 pickup in neck position, 2 knobs, trapeze tailpiece with pointed ends and 3 raised parallelagrams, laminated beveled-edge pickguard, triple bound top, single bound back and fingerboard, double-parallelagram fingerboard inlays, crown peghead inlay, sunburst or natural finish.
1953 ES-175 specs: two pickup model available called ES-175D. Note some double pickup ES-175 models seen in 1951/1952 (without the "D" model indication).
1957 ES-175 specs: Humbucking pickups replace P-90's February 1957.
1958 ES-175 specs: tailpiece with "T" in center and zigzag tubes on sides. Seen on two pickup models first but both single and double pickup ES-175 guitars got this tailpiece sometime in 1958.
1971 ES-175d specs: single pickup model discontinued. ES-175d still available.

from [www.kellyindustries.com]:

In 1949 there where only 129 ES-175s manufactured and was considered at the time to be the poor man's Gibson L-5. In 1953 Gibson put two pickups (P90's) on the 175 which was the first time it was done. This gave rise to a change in the electronics and tone controls and where to place them on the guitar. The earlier versions of this guitar only had a single pickup with tone and volume controls.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-12-27 21:12 by with sssoul.

I don't know much about Keith's hollowbody(ies) but it's always a pleasure to see your posts about guitars, my dear!

If Keith, who owns for sure some fifties LesPauls and Teles, considers a guitar as too good or valuable, I'm scared about thinking what its value would be...

[There'll be no wedding today...]

thanks for the encouraging words, Bruno honey!
[ahem - discreet edit to avoid confusion] :E




Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2005-12-29 15:36 by with sssoul.

... next slide, please!


- Hyde Park, july 5th 1969 (courtesy of the Gibson archives)

i believe Mathijs has already identified this one for us: "The picture of Hyde Park is Keith with a Gibson ES-330.
Although the shape is much like the 335/345/355 range, it doesn't have a wooden center block, making the guitar fully hollow.
This, and the P90 pickups, makes it great sounding but useless on stage, as it feedbacks too much."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2005-12-29 13:27 by with sssoul.

... so what has he got here? (sorry about the watermark!)


- The Bottom Line, october 1978 (courtesy AlreadyOverMe)

smile: dig the snazzy semihollow Telecaster -
i believe the occasion is the january 1987 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony.


- 1987, by Lynn Goldsmith

that vintage guitar site - [www.provide.net] - has this to say about the Thinline Tele:

"In late 1968, Fender introduced the Telecaster Thinline. Much like Gibson's 335, the Thinline has a solid center with hollow 'wings' and a single F hole. Apparently Fender’s supply of lightweight ash was drying up. Fender looked for ways to use readily available, but heavier grades of ash for the Telecaster. Their solution was to hollow out portions of the body to reduce weight. The body was routed from the back on each side of pickup assembly creating hollow 'wings'. A thin back panel was then glued on the back. A new style pearloid pickguard was used too. When it was introduced in late 1968, the Telecaster Thinline was offered with either a natural finished ash or mahogany body. In 1969, a three tone sunburst finish was also offered as an option. Also in 1969 the maple cap fingerboard gave way to a one piece maple neck with the back 'skunk stripe'. Finally in late 1971, the Telecaster Thinline was outfitted with a pair of Fender’s new humbucking pickups and it remained unchanged in the Fender line until it was discontinued in 1980.

"Although there were several deviants of the original Tele Thinline, the only collectable model is the one with standard Tele-style single coil pickups. This variant was made from late 1968 to early 1971 and said 'Fender Telecaster' only on the peghead (as per regular solidbody Telecasters), the truss rod adjusted at the butt-end of the neck, and had a pearloid pickguard going from the neck pickup to the tone control. The body was available in ash or mahogany. The mahogany body is much more desirable, but unfortunately fewer were made compared to ash. Also, a neck with a rosewood fingerboard is also more desirable. This is because there is less 'thickskin' finish on a rosewood fingerboard neck, since the fingerboard is unfinished (thickskin maple necks are horrible to play; they feel like you're playing a plastic neck - it is rare, but there are some lacquer neck Thinlines out there). Also the tone of a rosewood fingerboard and a mahogany body is more 'thick and creamy', making the Thinline very unique for a Telecaster-style guitar. The most common finish on a Thinline is a clear 'thickskin' finish, though other colors such as sunburst were available. Often the thickskin finish tries to delaminate on these guitars because the body is more flexible than a standard Telecaster body."

The guitar Keith plays in the dressing room in 1989 is a Gibson mid-50's Super 400.

The guitar from the Bottom Line pic is an early '60 Gibson ES-335.

The guitar Keith plays with Scotty is a new reissue of Scotty's original 1953 gold ES-175. Gibson made these to celabrate 40 years since the "birth" of R&R.

About the value of vintage 350's and super 400: these guitars are encredibly hard to find, as only view were made (about 100 350's every year in the 50's). Still, they do not command very high prices due to the limited appeal. Most of these guitars are fairly hard to play outside the jazz field. A vintage 350 or super 400 are worth in the 10.000 to 15.000 dollar range, wich is low for 50's Fender or Gibson guitars.

Mathijs

That shot from the Bottom Line might (MIGHT) not even be Keith's guitar. That shot hing in the marquee of the Bottom Line for ages. Maybe it's still there. Keith jumped on stage at (I think) Dave Edmunds' show. It was very much a celebration for some good news from the drug trial. I don't know if Keith was celebrating himself, but it was certainly how NYC viewed his appearance.

thanks very much, Mathijs! the 89/90 backstage guitar really looks like an ES-350,
not a Super 400 CES, but ... well, i'll ponder it some more!
meanwhile i know the Bottom Line 335 might not be Keith's -
i also doubt that snazzy Thinline Tele is Keith's own, but it's interesting anyway!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:39 by with sssoul.

okay, i've tracked down a little about Super 400 CES's - that was fun, educational, etc.
the vintage guitar site has them hidden away under acoustic archtops: [www.provide.net]
the Gibson site has a page with a bit about the history of the development: [www.gibson.com]
Scotty Moore's got a few Super 400CES's on his site: [www.scottymoore.net]

but i still can't find any Super 400s that look like that one Keith's got.
until further notice i believe it really is a late-40s/early-50s ES-350.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:43 by with sssoul.

It certainly isn't Keith's 335, it's from Dave Edmunds, grand collector of the ES-335. By all accounts, Keith was too drunk to be able to stand when he jumped the stage. Listening the the two songs he played with them, Keith was too pissed too even tune the guitar!

Mathijs

In this account it doesn't sound like Keith was having any trouble standing up!

This little blurb regarding Keith's appearance at the Bottom Line on 25 October 1978 is the source of one of my all time favorite quotes about Keith - "I can't begin to tell you the feeling of elation that a performing Keith Richards stirs in my soul." :E


--- Lou O'Neill Jr in the 28 November 1978 issue of Circus magazine

thank you BrownEyedGirl! :E

Video Rewind came up on another thread today, so i dusted it off and watched it -
sorry i don't have a photo this time, but maybe one of our kind learned patient Guitar Connoisseurs
could watch it and let us know what guitar Keith's got before he trades it in for a chainsaw?
it's another blond/natural, but it's not that same ES-350



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 16:08 by with sssoul.

Maybe we could get a make on the chainsaw, too... a Craftsman?

it looked like a Black & Decker to me, CC - maybe a late-70s model.
have some popcorn. :E

... okay so a recent post over on shidoobee about a NYC club show that Pierre de Beauport appeared at
states that "Pierre played Keith's black Gibson that he bought from Elvis"

which black Gibson would that be?? the black ES-355 is the only currently-visible one that comes to mind -
but has anyone ever heard that Elvis ever owned that one??



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:53 by with sssoul.

smile: the saga of one of Elvis's black Gibsons:
[www.scottymoore.net]

>> The guitar Keith plays with Scotty is a new reissue of Scotty's original 1953 gold ES-175. <<

eureka - Keith's got what looks like the same guitar on stage in some of the clips
comprising the Rip This Joint montage in the Stripped video.
it's spliced in between clips where he's got the single-cutaway LP TV - see it?
and it sure doesn't look gold - maybe it *is* an original 50s ES-175D?

(and actually ... the gold 175s are called 295s, and the Scotty Moore reissues came out in 1999.)

here's the photo from Scotty Moore's site again:


- 1996, courtesy of [www.scottymoore.net]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:58 by with sssoul.

... blatantly bumping this up, in case anyone else who has Stripped (the video/DVD)
feels like takin a look at that suspected ES-175D in Rip This Joint.
it would be way cool to have a second opinion! i'll make popcorn. :E

with sssoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> or there's this one - is that an early-50s
> ES-175D?? both the shots are from the 1996
> sessions for Scotty Moore's album All the King's
> Men:
>
>
> - 1996, courtesy of ScottyMoore.net
>
>
> - 1996, courtesy of Jim Herrington
>
> here's Scotty Moore's website - there's a lot of
> cool stuff on it:
>

What the hell, there's two old geezers playing butterscotch tele's and Keith's playing a hollowbody? You must have screwed with the picture!!

cool! the guitar in the Stripped Rip This Joint montage is also in the Four Flicks documentary - twice even!
Mick's got it in the studio on Don't Stop, and then Keith's got it for Keys to Your Love.
it looks like it's got different pickups than in that shot with Scotty Moore, though

from that vintage guitar site - [www.provide.net] :

>> 1957 ES-175 specs: Humbucking pickups replace P-90's February 1957.
1958 ES-175 specs: tailpiece with "T" in center and zigzag tubes on sides. Seen on two-pickup models first
but both single and double pickup ES-175 guitars got this tailpiece sometime in 1958. <<



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2007-09-21 17:31 by with sssoul.

>> cool! the guitar in the Stripped Rip This Joint montage is also in the Four Flicks documentary - twice even!
Mick's got it in the studio on Don't Stop, and then Keith's got it for Keys to Your Love. <<

Mick's got it on Well Well as well. :E

awright! a couple of the brand-new Sydney photos show Keith's new white semihollow pretty clearly -
that doesn't look like an ES-355 after all, does it? the inlays and switches look to me like it's a 345 -
any Kind Patient Guitar-Connoisseur Insights will be made very welcome indeed!




- both Sydney, apr 11th 2006; both by Paul Miller, courtesy of yahoo news

... and because i love it, the gorgeous screen shot from Sapporo that the gallant Open-G posted a while ago:


- Sapporo, mar 29th 2006; courtesy of rs.com & Open-G



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2007-10-13 14:59 by with sssoul.

I saw it too on RS.com, and I was also wondering what it was. Anyway, it's such a hot guitar you'd almost try to @#$%& it!!

Nice new pictures there, dear Miss sssoul.

after looking at [www.gibsoncustom.com] , i'm getting even more confused.
It ain't easy.
so what do we have:
it's got block inlays, no pickguard, f-holes (not diamond), a bigsby tremolo??? no varitone switch???

what's that make? I don't have a clue
but it sure is a hot guitar.