On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Rig

Keith Richards British

Not on view

Keith Richards is widely hailed as one of rock and roll’s greatest rhythm guitar players. His sound is largely a result of the alternate, open tunings—tuning the strings to a major chord—that he has long used for his music. "I’ve never been one of the floor pedal guys," said Richards. "Just get me a good sound." In the late 1960s, he began using an electric guitar with the lowest E string removed, with the other five strings tuned to a major chord. Richards’s open tuning creates what he describes as a "beautiful resonance" and long sustain, because the vibrations of the notes in different octaves reinforce one another through sympathetic resonance. As a result, his rig has been fairly modest, reliant on basic amplifier equipment. His music and signature sound have influenced generations of rock and roll musicians.



Rig Includes:
1954 "Micawber" Telecaster (rotating)
1959 Les Paul Standard (rotating)
Two 1950s tweed Fender Twin combo amps

Rig, Keith Richards (British, born Dartford, Kent, 1943), Wood, plastic, metal

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