Hive Five: Les Paul Gods
A good case can be made for the Strat or Telecaster, but putting aside Fender products, there’s no rock guitar more iconic than the Gibson Les Paul. Tomorrow marks two years since the death of the instrument’s namesake -- an acclaimed musician and inventor responsible for early advances in delay effects and multi-track recording, as well as solid-state electric guitars. As a tribute to Paul -- who lived to be 94 -- and the indelible six-string he helped design, we here at the Hive salute five of our favorite Les Paul players.
He rocked a Rickenbacker in his early mod days and has favored a Strat in recent years, but back in the ‘70s, when he still had hair, and the Who were still the most important rock band on the planet, Pete Townshend windmilled his monster chords on a Les Paul. [Watch here.]
2. Mick Jones
On the 1978 Clash tune “All the Young Punks,” as he mythologizes the group’s formation, singer Joe Strummer refers to partner Mick Jones’ guitar as a “Les Paul heart-attack machine.” Indeed, Jones favored Gibsons throughout the band’s run, and even though he was no virtuoso, he wrote some of the punk era’s most memorable riffs. Here’s Mick and the gang at Shea Stadium, opening for Townshend and the Who in ’82. [Watch here.]
3. Marc Bolan
No one has ever looked cooler clutching a Les Paul than Marc Bolan does on the cover of T. Rex’s 1971 Electric Warrior album. Bolan sounded great, too, tarting up simple Chuck Berry licks with his glam-rock attitude. [Watch here.]
Now that he’s a punk-rock elder statesman with two rock operas and a Broadway musical under his belt, Green Day’s founding frontman can’t very well use that sticker-covered Strat he played circa Dookie. Hence the stately white Les Paul Junior he carries these days. In 2006, Gibson released an Armstrong signature model, vaulting him into a rarefied class that includes Townshend, Jimmy Page and Peter Frampton, among others. [Watch here.]
5. Slash
No discussion of the Les Paul is complete with mentioning Slash. The former Guns N' Roses guitarist has Gibson to thank for his timeless look and instantly recognizable tone -- both of which are on display midway through this “November Rain” clip, when he excuses himself from Axl’s wedding and rips a heartbreaking solo in the middle of the desert. [Watch here. ]
