i know we've already had some of these in the Keith's Very Early Guitars thread: [iorr.org]
but i can't help it: these instruments deserve a thread of their own.

(if you're looking for Keith's 3PU Les Paul Customs, they're here: [iorr.org]
his assorted Les Paul Juniors are here: [iorr.org]
and various other Gibsons he's used are here: [iorr.org])

okay here we go:
Keith's first 1959 sunburst Les Paul, which he acquired in 1964:


- Ready Steady Go jan 15th 1965 (probably!), courtesy of BrownEyedGirll

this is the one he sold to Mick Taylor late in 1967, and then requisitioned for Honky Tonk Women on the 69 tour:


- 1969, probably MSG, courtesy of Erik Snow

there are lots of photos of Mick T with it in this thread here: [www.iorr.org]



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2007-09-19 10:41 by with sssoul.

Washington D.C, July 4th 1972


by "Dr Bob"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-17 15:16 by Erik_Snow.

next up is the Goldtop that Keith acquired in the mid 60s.
the good Mathijs says it's suspected of being the guitar he used on Satisfaction;
the good ChrisM notes that it's a 1952 model (the first year of production):


- probably 1966, by Stu


- ditto

Mathijs has also noted that this is the same Goldtop that Keith had in 1975:


- 1975 (is this by CS Sykes?) courtesy of Shad

so far Erik, Mathijs and i have seen shots of Keith on stage with it at only two 75 shows -
Baton Rouge and Milwaukee - any more out there, please and thank you kindly?


- Baton Rouge, june 1st 1975, courtesy of Mathijs


- Milwaukee, june 8th 1975, courtesy of Erik Snow


- 1975, apparently also Milwaukee, courtesy of 3DTeafoe

edit: Mathijs says that in 75 "Keith used the guitar on Wild Horses, Happy and YCAGWYW, and most probably some more songs as well."



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-20 00:40 by with sssoul.

in 72 Keith had this stripped Goldtop - Mathijs notes that it's a 1953 model
with only a stop tail piece and no tune-o-matic bridge.


- Seattle june 4th 1972 by Robert Knight (courtesy of Mathijs)


- ditto



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-17 15:46 by with sssoul.

in 72 Keith also used this 59 (i think?) sunburst LP, which (if memory serves) Mick Taylor used in 73:


- Chicago, june 20th 1972 (second show)
(courtesy of Harold Colson)



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-25 17:46 by with sssoul.

How can we be sure that it's the same gold top? In each series of pics it has different tuners.

July 13th, 1985 with Lonnie Mack at Lone Star Cafe in New York City.

by Bob Gruen

nice 85 shot, Toru-A - thanks! here's a bit about that show, from [www.timeisonourside.com] -
i think their date for this is the right one - july 13th 85 was the Live Aid show.

When Richards and Mack started trading blues licks... there was no doubt about who all eyes were focused on. Whenever guitarists get up in public to jam together, there's an element of the cutting contest. At the Lone Star Mack was, for all his smiles, laying into Keith Richards with every lick he had. In front of his own band, he tore off runs that - on a technical level - Keith couldn't hope to match. The remarkable quality about Keith Richards, though, was that he obviously didn't care. The faster Mack soloed the more Keith smiled and nodded - and when it was Keith's turn to burn he just choked that guitar in the signature primitive Berry/Exile/Richards style. By virtue of being so at ease with himself and his instrument, he sounded just great. Lonnie Mack, for all his moves, didn't win that cutting session. Keith Richards took it by virtue of being not a man playing a guitar, but a man who was part of a guitar. It was way past right or wrong. It was just KEITH. The way Keith played was the way Keith walked and thought and breathed.
- Bill Flanagan, Rolling Stone Magazine, reporting on a night, July 9, 1985,
when Keith got up onstage to jam with Lonnie Mack at the Lone Star Café in New York City

i've had this shot labelled "nyc 1983", but i bet it's also from that Lonestar Cafe jam:


- 85? by Bob Gruen



Edited 5 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-17 19:50 by with sssoul.

on the Voodoo Lounge tour, Keith used this sunburst LP for Shattered and Satisfaction -
any other numbers?


- Toronto 1994 by Paul Natkin (thanks Erik!) courtesy of BrownEyedGirll

ahh don't they look fine with their Gibsons?! :E


- 1994 (or is it 95?) (don't know who took it, sorry)



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 2007-04-07 20:42 by with sssoul.

with sssoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> - 1994 (or is it 93?) courtesy of BrownEyedGirll


I think that photo is by Paul Natkin, from June 1994, in Toronto

thank you Erik! have some popcorn while i edit my credits :E

lest we forget ... one of the most famous shots of Keith with an LP:


- Sunset Studios 1972 by Jim Marshall (courtesy of BrownEyedGirll)

with sssoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mathijs says that in 75 "Keith used the guitar on
> Rocks Off, You Can't Always Get and Happy for
> sure, probably some more songs."

Did they play Rocks Off in 1975? Not as far as I know :-)

Big T

>> Did they play Rocks Off in 1975? <<

they played it at Baton Rouge (the first show) - but meanwhile Mathijs (in another thread) has amended that statement:
"Sorry, I wasn't clear in what I wrote. Judging on the pictures I have seen he used the '52 LP [Goldtop]
on Wild Horses, Happy and YCAGWYW, and most probably some more songs as well.
Rocks Off surely is not included, as this song never was nor is played in open G."

i'll change that here too, so that future generations of readers aren't confused.
have some popcorn, everybody. :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-20 00:35 by with sssoul.

Tanx to the sssoulfull lady :-)

But the Gibson capoed in 4th fret on upper pics,what was that used for? Happy or JJ Flash?

Big T

This guitar hasn't been put up in any of with sssoul's threads,
and I don't know if it should be here, or in the "some lesser known Gibsons" thread....I could always make an edit.

US Tour 1978





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-17 23:44 by Erik_Snow.

I have a Q about the 75 Milwaukee shot where they are all singing. Including Ronnie. The only song I can imagine him singing with the twins in 75 would be YCAGWYW 9of the ones SSSoul metiones). But Ronnie is clearly playing an A chord in the shot which doesn't jive with that song.
Also I find it curious that Keith is tuning the guitar after the Capo is on there.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

Chelsea, one of my learned informants opined that that must be Wild Horses they're singing there in Milwaukee.

Wild Horses also fits to the chord Ronnie is playing, which is an Am, I think.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-18 00:13 by Erik_Snow.

>> I find it curious that Keith is tuning the guitar after the Capo is on there. <<

you mean in the backstage shot from 75? isn't it normal to finetune a guitar after you put the capo on?
at least that's what the guitarists i know/watch do. or maybe Keith is just posing :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-07-12 11:51 by with sssoul.

That is the most natural tuning pose ever. it's the plucking the string-listening very carefully-because I've tuned the damn thing 10 times already- and it's STILL sharp-with arm ready to grab the tuners again.
Totally right about Wild Horses of course on the other shot.
BTW the pic from DC 72 that Erik posted might be one of the coolest ever of Keith.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

nice piture, they look like wife and husband! ;-)

Borna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> nice piture, they look like wife and husband! ;-)


The guitars and Keith? Yes they do.

>> it's the plucking the string-listening very carefully-because I've tuned the damn thing 10 times already-
and it's STILL sharp-with arm ready to grab the tuners again. <<

smile: yeah, i recognize the posture! i was being lighthearted, as you can see from my friendly :E
seriously, though? i thought the routine was to tune the thing, put the capo on and then finetune it once more -
is that not a Generally Done Thing?

>> BTW the pic from DC 72 that Erik posted might be one of the coolest ever of Keith. <<

it is indeed way cool. is that the same LP as in the shot from Chicago?

is that LP Special that Keith has in this beautiful 78 shot from Erik actually Ronnie's?
for example the same one Ronnie has in the Voodoo Lounge shot i posted?
i believe Keith only ever used that Special on Beast of Burden in 78, and Ronnie has a few of them, so ... ?
have some popcorn.

I would think so LadyS, even using the same strap. That would be the absolute clincher for me, since it is the same tour. Highly doubt that they would switch something as trivial as a strap from axe to axe. And obviouysly the PU, PUguard etc match up. The color seems different, form the light though. Looks redder in Chicago picture. they are both beautiful. Keith looked great that tour. that blond streak was way cool.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

>> even using the same strap. <<

hm - well, Keith's got that same strap in the 72 shots with the stripped Goldtop too,
but ... have some popcorn. :E

on the other hand, in the Goldtop 75 shots he's got two different straps - interesting that they're so narrow.
he'd started using wide straps in 75, and aren't LPs pretty heavy? i'd think that's when you'd most want a wider strap.
ahh, the mysteries of Keith :E

I'm getting out of this hard-work time, thankfully. But I'll jump here to bring some popcorn to With Sssoul and all the freaks here for continuing this series of guitar threads!

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

smile: great to see your typeface, Bruno!
i was just talkin about you on the Mick T's Guitars thread: [www.iorr.org]

Ah yes. Keith and his Les Pauls. It was seeing him and Mick Taylor playing this model guitar during a viewing of "Ladies and Gentlemen..." that made me want a sunburst model. As far as I know Keith only played on stage between '69 and '72 the Bigsby guitar and the Les Paul nicknamed "Claw" and which was later played by Mick Taylor during the '73 tour. I can't tell if the Jim Marashall photo shows the latter guitar but it is interesting to note that the guitar has the low E removed and so is probably tuned to the fabled open G. I have seen other photos of Keith from the Marshall shoot so if anyone has them could you repost them please? Thanks and kudos to Ms sssoul for another great guitar thread. have some popcorn!