The '59 "Top-Loader" Tele & It's Devoted Fans

Late '58 Top-loading Tele bridge, courtesy of Premier Guitar

The 1958-59 period is a vintage often associated with Gibson guitars, the Les Paul Standard in particular, as discussed in a previous article. But in Fullerton, California, Leo Fender was experimenting as well, albeit not as drastically; for possible cost-cutting or time-saving reasons, or simply just emulating the popular evolution of the Precision Bass a year prior, the traditional string-thru-body design of the Telecaster was foregone in favor of a top-loading bridge, with the string slots drilled thru the rear lip of the "ashtray" plate. This began in late '58, and after a full year of production with mixed to negative results, the old string-thru-body construction was brought back by 1960, although the remaining supply of top-loading bridges were re-drilled and still used, allowing some models from late '59 all the way thru '62 to swing both ways. Why bring up such an obscure design failure? Because one of the most infamous Telecasters in rock-and-roll history was in fact a "toploader" from this period.

The Jimmy Page "Dragon" Telecaster

Jimmy Page's Dragon Toploader Telecaster, circa '68

Beginning it's life as a white-blonde Telecaster with white pickguard (exact date of birth unknown, but the slab rosewood fingerboard indicates mid-'59 at earliest), it was purchased by John Owen in 1961, who sold the guitar to his friend, former Deltones bandmate and then-Yardbirds lead guitarist Jeff Beck in 1965, who used it as a backup to his beloved Esquire while on tour. When Page joined the Yardbirds in 1966, Beck presented the instrument to him as gift, a thank-you for recommending Beck for the Yardbirds gig in the first place, and for throwing him some session work as well.

     

Jeff Beck playing the Toploader with the Yardbirds circa '65 (top & left), and Page with it in '66 (right & bottom).

The guitar underwent a few cosmetic changes, from white pickguard to black with Beck, then back to white with Page, who also added a few circular mirrors for a psychedelic effect, perhaps as a tribute to friend Syd Barrett's Esquire, in '67.

   

Page with the Toploader, circa '67.

Eventually, by 1968, Page stripped the guitar to it's natural ash grain and had some fun with paint, adding a mirror pickguard as well; the "Dragon" was born. This was Page's main guitar during his time as lead guitarist of the Yardbirds, as well as the New Yardbirds, who would change their name to Led Zeppelin and record a crushing self-titled debut album released in January of '69.  Along with a Supro combo amp, Vox wah, and Tone Bender fuzz, the Dragon helped Page create some incredible and timeless guitar tones on that record.

Page bowing Dragon on the first Zep tour, with Bonzo in background.

While also used for recording parts of Led Zeppelin II,  the Dragon was last seen live in May of '69, only to be brought out of retirement to record the epic climactic outro solo of "Stairway to Heaven" in 1971. Unfortunately, while away on tour (and favoring his Les Pauls for live use), a friend thought he'd do Jimmy a favor by crudely refinishing the iconic guitar; the new paint job "totally screwed up the sound and wiring" according to Page, and he scrapped the guitar, salvaging just the neck and using it on his brown B-bender Tele later on. "As for the body", says Page, "it will never be seen again!".


Did Jimmy prefer this Tele to others due to it's top-loading bridge? He never said publicly, at least not to my knowledge, but you've got to assume he had access to others and still went back to the Dragon. There are some reports that this guitar was drilled out for string-thru setup as well, meaning it would have been a very late '59 or even a '60 production model, but Page clearly strung it up thru the top of the bridge. In theory, and claimed to be true by some fans, the toploading bridge adds a looser, slinkier feel to the strings by eliminating the drastic breakpoint angle behind the saddles and the extra string length (not to be confused with scale length, which stayed the same); this would aid in ease of bending and vibrato, but hurt sustain and the ability to really "dig in" to the strings, the main complaints with the design in '59 and beyond. Most traditional Tele aficionados love the way the guitar fights back when you play aggressively with either hand, and that was diminished with the top-loader. I suppose none of that bothered Jimmy, though.

The Jim Campilongo '59 Telecaster

Jim Campilongo with his '59 original (left) and playing his signature model.

There's also a modern Tele-master who prefers the '59 Toploader, and it's someone I've had the privilege of seeing live and taking lessons from right here in New York City: alt-country/jazz/western swing guitarist extraordinaire Jim Campilongo. Jim was given his authentic '59 as a gift from a friend after falling in love with it, and it's been his main instrument ever since (I need some friends like Jim's). He describes the feel of the guitar as "rubbery" compared to standard Teles, but still capable of the twang reminiscent of his guitar idol, Roy Buchanan, and excelling at behind-the-nut bends due to it's extra slinkyness (something Page did as well, albeit not as extensively).

Jim's '59 Toploader and Princeton Reverb amp

Fender released a limited edition Custom Shop Campilongo model in 2010, an exact replica of his beloved '59, and I had the pleasure of playing Jim's personal copy. It was strung up with .009's, so I couldn't give a fair comparison to a standard Tele, as I'm a .010 player; one would need to go back-and-forth on virtually identical instruments with matching string gauges for a fair shootout. Regardless, it's a fine instrument worthy of the headstock signature. If you're not familiar with Jim's music, I suggest you check out Orange or Dream Dictionary, both excellent albums with some great guests, including Norah Jones. He's also a phenomenal teacher with some great online lessons available for download.

The Jeff Buckley '83 Tele

And now, for the wild card... 24 years after the original Top-loader Telecaster, Fender brought the design back in 1983, now utilizing a Schaller "Freeflyte" top-loading bridge as opposed to a modified traditional-style unit. Although just as unpopular the second time around, especially due to a common complaint of microphonics in the bridge pickup, it became the main instrument of famed singer/songwriter (and hugely underrated guitarist) Jeff Buckley.

Jeff Buckley's '83 Tele (left), and a closeup of the Schaller Freeflyte toploading bridge (right).

Jeff borrowed the blonde mirror-pickguard instrument from his friend Janine Nichols in 1991, after all of his personal gear was stolen; he never actually purchased the instrument, but played it from then until his untimely death in 1997. A Seymour Duncan Hot Stack replaced the stock bridge pickup, and the mirror pickguard was originally added by Janine as a tribute to Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. This Tele was used for the recording of Grace, Buckley's lone studio album, including his breathtaking version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", and also featured on much of Live in Chicago and Live at Sin-e. The guitar was returned to Janine after Buckley's passing, and auctioned off via Chelsea Guitars in 2011 for over $50,000.


Fender only produced this Freeflyte-equipped model of the toploader through 1984, although some future versions of the instrument, like the Made-in-Mexico Classic 50's Tele, have featured variations on the toploading bridge since. It just goes to show that a universally unpopular design can still be magic in the right hands, regardless of style or era. One person's con might be another's plus.

Modern Classic 50's MIM Toploader bridge

Gig Survival: MONO Cases, Airports, & Norman's Rare Guitars

Fresh off the plane and already typing... I'd say it's good to be home, but honestly, nah. Four days in LA wasn't quite enough, although I packed about as much into that time frame as I fit in my Mono Dual M80 for this excursion...

Not pictured: eyeglasses, sunglasses, phone charger, iPad.

Otherwise, all I needed for 4 days.

First off, it does not get any better than these Mono cases for travel gigging; the perfect amount of protection and convenience for two Fender-style guitars, as well as a Pedaltrain Nano and cables. It could get a little heavy on a long TSA line, but really not terrible at all. Speaking of TSA, no major issues whatsoever at either airport, LAX or Newark... Newark took it off to the side of the scanner, which immediately concerned me, but all the agent did was open up the Tick and swab my pedals, then handed everything back with a smile and zero questions. In LAX, they sent me down a different line for a larger scanner, which the case passed thru with no issues.


As for the United Airlines staff, no problems at all with carrying on; I suppose they've received enough negative press in the past for a few infamous incidents, but a phone call to customer service the day before my flight reassured me there would be no problems as long as space was not an issue (also printed out the FAA Regulations regarding musical instruments, just in case). The Dual M80 fit perfectly into the overhead compartment with the Tick removed and placed alongside, and thanks to priority boarding, had an entire bin to itself. I'd definitely advise upgrading to a priority group if your airline of choice offers it strictly for this reason. Most planes have closets, but they're not very wide at all, possibly not wide enough for the dual case (A thin hardshell case or single-guitar Mono might fit, though).


Upon arrival, it was time to pick up my white Mustang convertible (yes, really!) and cruise up to Shadow Hills for a rehearsal with the incredibly talented Ms. Helen Rose and the rest of her band, consisting of guitarist/songwriter extraordinaire Jonah Tolchin, the man with the tastiest fills since Bonham, Kevin Clifford on the boom-booms, and bassist/hypeman/guitar builder Don Moser (who has one of his beautiful Katrina-inspired Voodoo guitars on display at the Smithsonian Institute. Jonah also played a brand new custom Telecaster by Don). After working out the set and running the tunes, we headed down to The Mint for a soundcheck and some dinner before the show.

Don's original Katrina-relic Voodoo Guitar (left), and Jonah's new custom Gratitude Tele (right).
More on Voodoo Guitars here in the future!

For the guitar nerds out there (basically all of you), I used one of The Mint's house amps, a Rivera Fifty Five Twelve EL34 1x12" combo (since evolved into the current Chubster model), which had an incredible clean tone with lots of depth, detail, and character. For dirt, I chose a Fulltone Plimsoul overdrive pedal, which is my go-to safety blanket for unfamiliar situations, along with an Ibanez AD-9 Keeley-modded analog delay and Strymon Flint for spring reverb and tremolo, my usual tone candy of choice.

My girls with their Rivera 5512 date for the evening.

The monitor & FOH sound was handled superbly by Steven, an employee of the venue, who was extremely accommodating to us as well the headliners, Grant Farm. By the way, if you're not familiar with these guys, check them out; self-described as "Cosmic Americana", and if I must label them, it would be something along the lines of the Allmans meet the Dead with some phenomenal chicken pickin' by guitarist Tyler Grant. Four-part vocal harmony, to boot!


All in all, the gig was great, and we'll be back on March 24th to open for British blues guitar phenom Davy Knowles... come say hi!

Helen Rose & the gang at The Mint

In other guitar-related news, a trip to Los Angeles would not be complete without visiting Norman's Rare Guitars in Tarzana, most notable for providing Nigel Tufnel's Spinal Tap collection (including the Les Paul you can still hear sustaining if you listen very closely), as well as Marty McFly's cherry red '59 Gibson ES-345. Joe Bonamassa drops by almost weekly when in town, and store manager Mark Agnesi posts his Guitar of the Day videos on Instagram to make me drool regularly.

Norman's Rare Guitars & me (on couch, with 1940 Martin). Photo courtesy of the lovely Lauren Hans.

Mark happened to notice me checking out an all-mahogany 1937 Martin, similar to the '39 model that Helen's father, Alexander Wright has (that I spent the night before playing), and handed me two others to check out: an Adirondack spruce-top 0-18 from 1940, and a refinished '48 model. There was something very special about the 1940, likely due to it's pre-war vintage (when Martin's craftsmanship was supposedly at it's absolute peak), and after comparing it with the other Martins and a few similar Gibsons, I knew it had to happen; Mark made me a great deal including shipping to New Jersey, and it's on it's way as I type.

So that just about wraps up an incredibly fun, productive, and exhausting trip, complete with a lunch at Duke's in Malibu, a dinner at James Beach in Venice, and a ridiculously fun night out at Jumbo's Clown Room on Hollywood Boulevard. Until we meet again, La-La Land!

The 1959 "Keefburst" Les Paul & The Start of A Craze

In mid-1958, the Gibson Guitar Company tried something new to drum up sales for it's Les Paul Standard model, the latest evolution of what began as "The Log" in Lester Polfus's workshop; still utilizing the same design and construction as the "Goldtop" Standard model's mahogany neck and body with maple top (including the Patent-Applied-For "PAF" humbucking pickups invented a year prior), but now featuring a transparent cherry-red-to-yellow "Sunburst" finish on that maple top, inspired by the company's acoustic and archtop jazz models. No two guitars were alike, as the original dying process brought out varying degrees of depth from the maple wood grain unique to each instrument. Some models had rather plain tops, in comparison to the curly figured maple bookmatched tops found on some of the most valuable and desirable instruments of the era. As the original dye would fade rapidly over time when exposed to UV light, a new technique was employed in 1960, resulting in a bolder, more reddish-orange "tomato soup" look, with slightly less transparency (the neck thickness was also slimmed down a bit by then). Generally speaking, 1959 models are considered the pinnacle of the line, but all three years provided some of the most collectible, beautiful, and best-sounding electric guitars of all time.

Great examples of 'Bursts from '58 (left), '59 (center), and '60 (right), showing variations in figure and color.

A 1960 Gibson catalog page featuring the Sunburst Standard (right)

Despite all this, and rather ironically, the heavy, expensive Les Paul was considered a commercial failure at the time, and only 1,712 Sunburst Standard units were produced from 1958 to 1960 (Even Les himself preferred the tuxedo-like all-mahogany "Black Beauty" Custom model).  By '61, the Les Paul guitar was redesigned by Ted McCarty of Gibson as a thinner, lighter shape, with easier access to the upper frets; we now know this model as the SG, but until 1964, it hadn't changed titles. At that point, Les asked for his name to be removed from the newer design, which he never cared for, and as he was entering a state of semi-retirement and no longer retained his popularity of a decade prior, Gibson obliged. There would be no more Les Paul models in Gibson's immediate future beginning 1964.

A very young, innocent Keef, with his 'Burst, circa 1964

That very same year, across the pond in London, a young English guitarist named Keith Richards walked into Selmer's Music Shop with a few quid to spend before his group, The Rolling Stones, embarked on their very first tour of the U.S. He spotted a sunburst Les Paul Standard which had been retrofitted with a Bigsby vibrato, and since it was previously owned, he could afford to buy it. He played it extensively on that tour, including the Stones' debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and used it to record many of their early hits, most notably "The Last Time", "Time Is On My Side", and "Satisfaction". Keith owned and played a sunburst Les Paul before any of his contemporaries, including many of whom became famous for their use of the instrument: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, Paul Kossoff, Mike Bloomfield, Billy Gibbons, Joe Walsh, Duane Allman... Keef had 'em all beat to the 'Burst.

That particular instrument, serial number 9-3182, turned out to be a '59 model, purchased brand new in March 1961 at Farmer's Music Store in Luton, UK, by John Bowen, guitarist of Mike Dean & the Kinsmen. Bowen had the Bigsby vibrato installed at Selmer's shop in London, where he eventually traded in the guitar for a Gretsch Country Gentleman in late '62. It waited there a year and a half before it's serendipitous Rolling Stones future.

John Bowen (far right), playing that infamous '59 Les Paul circa '61-62.

As Keith played the 'Burst more and more, it's popularity grew on the London blues/rock scene. Jimmy Page used Keith's new guitar on a recording session in July of '64, as he was a busy session musician in London at the time, and Keith and Mick were honing their craft as songwriters. A version of "Heart of Stone" from these sessions featuring Page and the "Keefburst" can be found on the 1975 Stones compilation album Metamorphosis, and Jimmy went on to purchase several 'Bursts of his own over the years, including a '58 and '59.

Jimmy Page with Keefburst, July '64.

Clapton famously used a 1960 'Burst on the John Mayall Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton recordings of early '66, known widely as the "Beano" album, and the guitar subsequently referred to as the "Beano Burst". That guitar was stolen or left behind by Clapton shortly after the recording, and he is known to have borrowed at least two different 'Bursts during the early days of Cream, including one that looks suspiciously similar to Keith's. It's unconfirmed, but some experts believe it to be the same guitar, as Keith was favoring a Black Beauty by then and looking to sell his original. If true, that would mean the Keefburst may have been used on the Fresh Cream recording sessions, as well as with Cream at the Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival in July of '66.

Eric Clapton, possibly with Keefburst, performing with Cream in the summer of '66.

With Keith looking for a buyer, he eventually found one in the young 17-year-old blues prodigy Mick Taylor. In 1967, Taylor was invited by John Mayall to replace Peter Green in The Bluesbreakers, following in the footsteps, err, fingerprints of Clapton, and he jumped at the great opportunity, having filled in for Clapton once before with Mayall a year prior (and played the Beano Burst before it was lost). As Clapton defined the sound of the Bluesbreakers and British blues in general with his Beano/Marshall amp combination, Peter Green followed suit accordingly with his own 'Burst, a '59 with a reversed and polarity-flipped neck pickup, yielding a haunting, piercing out-of-phase tone in it's middle position, drenched in reverb, taking the blues towards a psychedelic direction and eventually forming the group Fleetwood Mac (articles have been written entirely on Greeny's '59 'Burst, which was later passed along to Gary Moore and currently owned by Kirk Hammett of Metallica, who paid over a million dollars for the instrument).


Back in America, Gibson took note of the newfound popularity of it's discontinued instrument, and in 1968, reissued the Les Paul Standard and Custom models, with none other than Keith Richards as their advertised endorser. Keith was playing black Customs almost exclusively at this time, including one that his girlfriend Anita Pallenberg painted a colorful psychedelic dragon on. The SG design that initially replaced it was very popular and has stayed in production to this day, but the Les Paul became THE rock guitar of the era, thanks in no small part to Keith.

1968 also saw Jeff Beck using a '58 'Burst for his seminal and incredible solo debut Truth, and it was the same year that Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top acquired the infamous Miss Pearly Gates, a '59 model which he was recently offered five million dollars for by a Japanese collector.


As the newest Bluesbreaker, Mick Taylor knew he'd need the right instrument to fit the sound and style Mayall had become known for, and the Keefburst did the trick, recording the great albums Crusade and Blues for Laurel Canyon with the instrument. Circumstances came full circle when Taylor was asked by Mick Jagger to join some recording sessions with the Stones in June of 1969, and then in July, two days after the tragic death of Brian Jones, Taylor made his live debut with the band at London's Hyde Park in front of approximately 250,000 people in what became a tribute to the fallen founding member of the group.

Mick Taylor with the Keefburst (left) at Hyde Park, July '69.

(Also, Keith in the back with a Korina Flying V!)

Mick Taylor played the Keefburst throughout the '69 Stones world tour, even sharing it with Keith for the odd tune now and again. It's featured all over the Sticky Fingers album as well. The guitar then disappeared in '71 under mysterious circumstances; one story claims it was left in a closet at London's Olympic Studios before the Stones fled the country as tax exiles, another says it was stolen at their farewell show at London's Marquee Club, or from the Nellcote villa in France during the recording of Exile On Main St., along with a few other instruments such as Keith's Telecaster. Regardless, the Keefburst would eventually surface in the hands of Cosmo Verrico, guitarist of The Heavy Metal Kids, in the mid-'70s; he claims it was given to him by a "Stones representative" as payback for a guitar of his that was stolen. Cosmo removed the Bigsby and pickup covers (which have since been re-installed), and at some point the Kluson tuners were replaced by Grover machines, possibly by Mick Taylor.

The guitar began changing hands after this, with Cosmo selling it to Bernie Marsden of Whitesnake. who turned it around in a week for $50 profit to collector Mike Jopp, who then held onto it for nearly 20 years (and much greater profit). It was bid up to $340,000 at a Christie's auction in 2004, but did not meet reserve... rumor has it that $600,000 was turned down for it privately around the same time. Most recently, it was purchased by a private collector in Europe in 2006 for a rumored $750,000. Considering the increasing value on the vintage market of such guitars over the past decade, it would easily sell for over a million now.

The Keithburst, in it's aged, faded glory.

So, did Keith Richards unknowingly start the 'Burst craze when he walked into Selmer's Music Shop in 1964? It's fair to say he was the first on the scene with one, and his influence is undeniable. The funny thing is, according to a few first-hand accounts who've seen and played it, that the guitar is rather unremarkable compared to others of it's vintage, likely why it's changed hands so often compared to other instruments of the era, and possibly why Keith wanted to sell it in the first place. It's certainly beautiful looking, but possibly not the most resonant choice of wood, or an off day at the factory for the pickup winder (as opposed to the Greeny 'Burst, which has been described as breathtaking in all regards). It certainly has it's place in rock-and-roll history, though, and that cannot be denied.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from Voodoo Guitar!

Thanks for a fantastic year everyone! We're taking a short holiday break and returning with some great topics in 2017, including:

- The best $99 I ever spent
- The rare & unique "top loader" 1959 Telecaster
- Building a tweed Princeton amp at home
- Profile: Jamie Simpson of BOOYA! Amplifier Services
- More great reviews & tips

Looking forward to a great 2017!

My Dad & His Guitars

My father was the reason I ever picked up a guitar in the first place.


Wayne's World had a lot to do with it, too, but if my dad hadn't had guitars in the house, it might've just passed like any other adolescent phase, leading to another summer of basketball camp or Little League rather than trying to look like Angus Young in front of my bedroom mirror. Although I had taken violin lessons as a young kid, followed by a few years of piano, some things happened in the summer of '92 that changed the game for me: my grandmother, whom i was very close with, passed away, and Eric Clapton's Unplugged album had just been released, which proved a far better outlet for my grief than the usual Metallica or Guns 'n' Roses cassettes in my Walkman. I wanted to express my feelings by playing those songs, not just listening to them, and asked my dad to teach me how; big moment.


My dad, Paul Sheganoski, had been a musician since he was 13 or so, starting out on guitar, and later moving to bass. Taking after my grandfather before him, a self-taught mandolin and harmonica player with a great ear, music dominated his young life growing up in Bayonne in the early '60s, taking lessons at Piero's (where I would hang out 30 years later), bringing his guitar on family trips, playing in The Electras and The Deltairs with his best friend Steve Zazenski, covering everything from '50s doo-wop to early rock'n'roll (the two forged a friendship that would last a lifetime). My grandfather bought him his first real guitar, a '62 sunburst Stratocaster, from Stark's Music store in Bayonne.

My dad & grandfather jamming, circa '60

The Electras, featuring Steve Zazenski (far left), and my father (far right), circa '62.

As a typical impulsive teenager, possibly trying to differentiate from his bandmate's identical guitar and having no idea of it's future value, he had that original sunburst Strat refinished at an autobody shop; the result was a cool metallic blue flake finish with a black pickguard, although he eventually traded it in anyway (Also, if anyone happens to come across a '62 Strat refinished in metallic blue flake with a black pickguard, call me!). The Ampeg Gemini I combo amp was also his, while the Jaguar and blonde Tremolux head and cabinet belonged to Steve and resided in his parents' basement rehearsal space.

(Seriously, e-mail me if you recognize that Strat)

My dad (left), and his friend Steve (right), looking as cool as possible in Buddy Holly glasses and beatnik berets.

The Deltairs even made a trip into New York City to cut a 45rpm vinyl demo, lugging all of their equipment on the bus and subway, tracking live to acetate master. With Steve's future wife Kathy Ambruzs on lead vocals, along with Chester Hodyl and Larry Suchac, the young group recorded a cover of "Earth Angel", the 1954 hit by The Penguins (and the same song Marty McFly played with Marvin Berry & The Starlighters at the 1955 Enchantment Under the Sea school dance).

Eventually, by about '64, my father realized that a band with three guitarists might benefit from some low end, so he saved up for a Jazz Bass, and fortunately for me, anticipated the value of this instrument, to the extent that it's still in incredible shape over 50 years later (aside from some minor belt buckle rash). Along with his next purchase, a '66 blonde Telecaster that replaced the Strat as his preferred guitar for rhythm playing, he continued to gig locally, most notably with Mark Stein, eventual vocalist and keyboardist of the highly influential rock group Vanilla Fudge.

He also traded up to a Fender Bassman head and cab around this time, something he could use with both the Tele and Jazz bass, and eventually an Ampeg B-25B stack by the end of the decade, which I still have (If you look closely at the background image of this site, you'll see it at my rehearsal space). Kinda wish he had kept the Bassman too... and Strat... and Gemini...

My two favorite heirlooms, and one exhausted Pekingese.

Closeup of the '64 Jazz, my dad's pride & joy.

Playing my dad's Tele at B.B. King's in NYC last February, a special guitar for a special gig.
Photo by Anthony Galasso.

He continued to play throughout the '70s in various bands, including Peace Train with friends Pete Henderson and Vinny Demitus, and also in a duo with my incredibly talented Godmother, Bernadette Golden. Speaking of Bernadette, it was my father who first placed a guitar in her hands, leading her towards a life of singing and songwriting, a degree in music education, and helped her parents pick out a cherry red '67 ES-335 for her as a graduation gift, a fitting instrument for a fantastic jazz vocalist. She still treasures that guitar to this day.

My dad in the 70s, if that wasn't already obvious.

Then, after a 20-year hiatus, he decided to start up a cover band in his mid-50s, Flashback, for which I proudly served as roadie and soundman. It was payback for the concerts and rehearsals he drove me to as a kid, the loud music coming from my bedroom, my first guitar, school for sound engineering, and turning the garage into a recording studio; a free demo session was the very least i could do. The man sure had patience, as I often tested.

Although my father was never much of a lead guitarist, he loved to both compliment and harass my playing, as he marveled over how I could perform all of the fast, tricky lead licks of guys like Clapton and Hendrix, yet lacked the "feel" that he had for rhythm and slower lines, which drove me crazy. For years, I couldn't understand what he was talking about... maybe it took some growing up on my part, feeling the blues a bit for myself, or maybe it'll be a constant quest and source of inspiration. Maybe it's that he's no longer around to hear me play, and that's the feeling I have now when I pick up a guitar, especially one of his... not a gig goes by that I don't wish he was there in the crowd.


In loving memory of Paul Vincent Sheganoski, 12/10/46 - 4/29/09

Keef's Favorite Guitars & How He Got 'Em

The man known as "The Human Riff" has over 3,000 guitars at his disposal, filling up a warehouse and maintained by one of the best techs in the industry... but just like anyone else, he's got his favorites, and a few of them have great stories. While there are many blogs and websites dedicated to Keith's guitars, I'm focusing on a few favs with some interesting origins.

Micawber

Keef & Micawber, a love affair 46 years strong.

Keith's #1 and most iconic guitar, a '53 butterscotch blackguard Telecaster nicknamed "Micawber" (after a Charles Dickens' character from David Copperfield), has been profiled at great length by just about every guitar publication in existence, so I won't be getting too crazy here; I will point out, in keeping with the theme of this post, that an early-50's blackguard Telecaster was presented to Keith as a 27th birthday gift in December 1970 by none other than Eric Clapton himself, at a time when EC made a habit of gifting Fenders to his mates (see addendum below for updated info). While on tour in Nashville, Clapton purchased six Strats from the Sho-Bud music shop; three as gifts for George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood, then took the best parts of the other three and had Nashville luthier Ted Newman-Jones III assemble what would become known as "Blackie", Clapton's signature instrument throughout the '70s and '80s. But why is this part of a blog post about Keith Richards?

Keith with pre-op Micawber in original spec, circa early '72

Newman-Jones would go on to work for the Stones after showing up unannounced at Keith's Nellcôte villa in the south of France, where the band was recording Exile on Main Street in 1971. He convinced Keith that he should have a freshly-tuned guitar ready for each song when touring, and after a strong referral by Clapton, became their first official guitar tech. He was the man who added the backward Gibson PAF humbucker to the neck position of Micawber in late 1972, replaced the bridge pickup with a late-'40s Fender lap steel relic, and modified the Tele specifically for 5-string open-G use, something Keith had been experimenting with but hadn't found the perfect guitar for until then. Newman-Jones worked on many of Keith's other guitars, including the backup to Micawber, a similarly-modified near-identical natural ash '54 Tele named "Malcolm", and built several custom instruments for him as well throughout the '70s and early '80s.

After all these years following and reading about both musicians, I never knew of this connection between them and their signature guitars until now, and personally think it's pretty damn cool that two of those most iconic instruments of the era were the result of the same luthier.


Addendum 1/11/17: Per the first-hand account of Jeff Smith, current head of Newman Guitars, the original EC birthday gift Telecaster was in fact stolen from Keith at the Nelcotte villa during the recording of Exile, and he requested that Newman-Jones find a couple of similar replacements for the upcoming tour; he brought Keith a pair of blackguard Teles, a '53 and '54, which would soon become known as Micawber and Malcolm, respectively. The original humbucker route was performed on Micawber by Newman-Jones with a screwdriver and ball-peen hammer during the '72 tour. So while Micawber was not the birthday gift it was rumored to have been, it was still very much part of the Clapton/Richards/Newman-Jones guitar triangle.

Micawber in it's current form, with backward Gibson PAF in neck
and brass bridge with low-E saddle removed.

'72 Black Telecaster Custom

Keith with his black Tele Custom in '82 (Ronnie Wood to the left).

Another favorite of Keith's is a '72 black Telecaster Custom, purchased at the Caldwell Music Company in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5th, 1975, for $364.00. How do we know the exact date and price? Because the man who sold it to Keith said so, with evidence:

"I had gone to the Monday evening (Stones) show, and was back in the saddle at Caldwell Music store on Tuesday, selling gear, and nursing a bit of a hangover. A young kid came running into the store, yelling 'the Rolling Stones are over at the liquor store!' San Antonio, at that time had five music stores in about a two block stretch. We were at the end that was closest to the liquor store. After getting some fortification, the Stones started making their trip down "music row".

Sure enough it wasn't long before Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and a roadie sauntered into the store. We didn't go nuts, we needed to stay cool, and just treat them like any good customer. They were quite personable, and easy to talk with. Keith wore a blue work type shirt, with a hole cut out over one of his nipples. Ron and Keith went straight to the guitar wall, while the roadie placed an order for some drum heads. Keith mentioned a 'Tele with a bucker' in his British accent, and soon had it in his hands. I don't think he ever plugged it in, just noodled around on it. I don't believe Keith ever put the black Custom down, but held on to it until he got over to the counter to complete the transaction.

Our owner Ed Fest, published a small monthly newspaper, that had pics of many different customers posing with gear they had just purchased. It was the duty of the salesmen on the floor to grab a camera that was always loaded, and take the pictures for "The Caldwell Happenings". I had read in the news of incidents between camera flashers, and members of the Rolling Stones. I decided I should ask first, and shoot later. After explaining why we wanted the pic, Keith said "do it". I took one shot, and he kind of posed for me, holding up the fat white pay envelope, and reaching in for bills to buy his Tele.

Someone asked where Jagger was, and Keith said 'He's probably in the bloody jet, setting at the end of the runway cursing us'."

- Gene Warner, IORR.org forum (paraphrased), 3/29/2010

The original sales receipt (left) and photo of Keith & Ronnie (flanked by crew members, right)
purchasing the Tele Custom (Photos courtesy of Gene Warner & Oscar Fernandez).

This guitar spent it's first decade or so with Keith in standard tuning as one of his favorites for stage and studio, including use as a weapon against a stage-rushing fan in '81, and the infamous 1987 "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n Roll" concert film with Chuck Berry, reappearing later in life with an open-G setup and the pickup toggle switched moved to replace one of the tone controls. The unique sound of the Fender Wide Range hi/lo humbucker in the neck, along with 1meg volume pots, set this Tele apart from Micawber and Malcolm, and may have interacted better with Keith's Mesa/Boogie amps of the era. There is a rumor that the original neck and/or body (or even the entire guitar) was replaced at some point, possibly with the original pickups transplanted into a newer model, but this is unconfirmed.

Oh, he definitely got some Satisfaction out of that...

Keith with his black Tele Custom in '78 (left), and more recently in '06 (right)