Torn & Frayed
Keith Richards’ roadworn Junior in close-up
The straight-ahead, no-frills appeal of the Les Paul Junior hasn’t been lost on Keith Richards over the years. Here, we quiz Andy Babiuk, author of new book Rolling Stones Gear – All The Stones’ Instruments From Stage To Studio, on the Human Riff’s love of these salt-of-the-earth rock ’n’ roll machines…
When did Keith first get his hands on an LP Junior?
“Keith got his first Gibson Les Paul Junior in 1972, and it first appeared while the Stones were recording at Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston, Jamaica at the end of that year. The tracks recorded there would end up on the Goats Head Soup LP. The guitar was a double cutaway, red 1960 LP Junior which Keith used aggressively in the studio during those sessions, and from 1973 onward for live gigs. Photos of Keith playing the guitar live in ’76 show a ‘High Level +7’ sticker that he added to the face of the guitar. The guitar is still part of Keith’s collection, and when we photographed it for the Rolling Stones Gear book, it still had the sticker on it!”
What other Les Paul Juniors does he have in his collection?
“Keith has a lot of LP Junior and Special guitars in his collection, but the Juniors you see him use most are the aforementioned red 1960 model that he used for a better part of the 1970s; a 1957 sunburst singlecutaway Junior that he got in 1979 during the New Barbarians tour; of course, his 1958 Les Paul TV Junior [pictured] that he named ‘Tumbling Dice’, or ‘Dice’ for short, after a decal of a pair of dice that once graced the front of the guitar; and a nonmodified, factory-stock 1955 singlecutaway LP TV Junior that he got and used during the Voodoo Lounge tour, which we also photographed for the Rolling Stones Gear book.”
Which studio recordings definitely feature Keith playing a Junior?
“We do know that the red 1960 LP Junior with the sticker was used on the Goats Head Soup LP. The 1957 sunburst single-cutaway Junior and ‘Dice’ show up for the first time during the Emotional Rescue/Tattoo You sessions at Pathé-Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris in the summer of 1979. Pierre de Beauport, Keith’s guitar tech since 1989, will always prepare Keith’s main guitars for him in the studio; the Les Paul Juniors are always ready for him.”
What are the main modifications that have been made to ‘Dice’ over the years?
“When we photographed ‘Dice’ for the Rolling Stones Gear book, you can see where the original Gibson tailpiece was replaced with a Leo Quan Badass adjustable bridge, and the original tuning pegs were changed to a set of Grovers. The Gibson volume and tone knobs were also changed to a set of chrome Fender Telecaster knobs. The well-played guitar still shows remnants of the white dice decal that has been worn off the guitar near the knobs.”
What do you think it is that Keith finds appealing about LP Juniors in general?
“I imagine it’s the simplicity of the guitar that’s appealing. Like the simplicity of the Fender Tele design that we know he loves, the Les Paul Junior is just a great design that can serve any guitar player well.” For more on Rolling Stones Gear –AllThe Stones’Instruments From StageTo Studio by Andy Babiuk and Greg Prevost, turn to page 31.