GIBSON HUMMINGBIRD

Years active: 1966 onwards

While a spruce-topped Gibson Heritage had been a regular companion on TV spots, come the mid-60s, Gibson’s most brightly feathered dreadnought, the Hummingbird, flew in through his window, and it would leave its mark on wax, most notably on Jumpin’jackflash and Street Fightingman. “On Streetfightingman, there’s one six-string and one five-string acoustic. They’re both in open tunings, but then there’s a lot of capo work,” Richards told Guitarworld.

The Stones’ at their most propulsive, Jumpin’jackflash, was recorded with a Hummingbird sharing the mix with another acoustic in Nashville tuning. Richards used his Phillips or Norelco cassette recorders to compress them, changing their character – it was as though the acoustics were resisting their physical limitations. “I played a Gibson Hummingbird tuned to either open E or open D with a capo,” said Richards. “And then I added another guitar over the top, but tuned to Nashville tuning.”