The Master at work . . .

[Nelskie]

Besides being one of the most recognizable rock guitarists in history, for one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time, Keith Richards is also virtually synonymous with the Fender Telecaster guitar.

There is little more that I can say that hasn't already been said about the music Keef has made with his Teles. I'd equate it walking through the Louvre Museum, and taking note of the greatest masterpieces of all time. Beggar's Banquet. Exile On Main Street. Sticky Fingers. It's Only Rock n' Roll. Every one so beautifilly executed in its Tele-ness, a sound so honest & true, with pure emotion dripping from every note & chord.

Coconut tree-climbing notwithstanding, I thought it'd be cool to share some snaps of one of my favorite guitarists with my fellow Tele-playing Fretters, with the hope that a few of those magical Stones tunes might ring through their amps. A fitting tribute to a man who has, without question, forged his legend with one of the greatest instruments ever made.

Satisfaction . . . indeed.

[t_ross33]

Anyone have any insight into why Keef rigs some of his guitars with only 5 strings? Economy, more room for insane string bending? What's up?

[Iago]

oh man.. I thought it was a Hendrix thread! hehehehee loved the pics. that last one, with the blonde tele with rosewood fretboard looks a bit like mine hehehe

T Ross:
probably because he tunes to Open G ...without the low E string (now tuned to D). maybe he didnt liked the "boomy" sound of a drop D string when he hit the chords... I saw an article about that somewhere, I`ll try to find it

[SuperSwede]

Iago is right, it is a open G tuning with the low E-string removed. Tune like this:

A string = Tune down to G
High E string = Tune down to D

The other strings are tuned as usual D, G , B

Good Luck!

[Katastrophe]

The master... indeed! Keef gets a lot of flak, especially from "shredder" types about his playing. Say what you will about that, but it is undenialble that:

1) Keef has written some of the greatest riffs in rock n' roll, that have stood the test of time. I mean, who doesn't recognize the opening bars of "Start Me Up" ?

2) Without Keef, the archetype of the rockstar would look much different today. Who out there can say they've been projecting pure attitude for 40 years? Mick Jagger, and maybe Chuck Norris, and that's about it.

I'm with ya, Nelskie!

[kerc]

Keef is great, although I gotta admit that I thought this was gonna be about Roy Buchanan!

[Robert****]

Chuck Norris? Haha! LMAO!

Nice pics. Just don't climb trees, Keef.

[Nelskie]

Iago / Swede - Many thanks for posting the info on Keef's (5) string tuning. As long as I've been playing, and digging the Stones. I've never actually known what it was.

BTW, Iago, Hendrix was a Stratocaster man - although I've seen a few pix of him playing Flying V's and Les Paul's. Mostly, he played stock Strats right off the shelf, which for someone of his playing caliber, is a pretty amazing to think about.

Kerc - Indeed, Roy Buchanan is another Master of the Telecaster. "Hot Wires" is one of my favorite albums of his. Some other dudes that can burn with the Tele include Will Ray (Hellecasters), Danny Gatton, and James Burton.

Kat - How about the opening bars to Satisfaction?!! Easily one of the greatest riffs of all time. As for taking flak from the shredders, I don't think it bothers Keith much what they think of his playing. As a matter of fact, many of those guys could learn a lot from his methodically economical playing style. If you listen to a lot of Stones music, you'll notice that Keith never looks to draw attention to his playing at the expense of a song. And thus, when it's time for that note or fill, it really comes through. Perfect example of this is Love Is Strong from "Voodoo Lounge". The transitional chords from the verse to the chorus sound huge - but at the same time, are stunningly simple. Keef is the man.

And attitude? Whoa, dude - off the scale. Even to this very day.

[kerc]

In his playing style, and how he complements the songs instead of overpowering them, he reminds me of U2's Edge. And it's not a coincidence that most shredders think that both players suck! The shredder mindset seems to usually be to have the guitar dominate everything and be always the center of attention.

[Nelskie]

I like your point about complimenting a song, Kerc. The Edge is certainly one of the best at it, too. And not coincidentally, he's a Telecaster player himself(at least on this most recent album & tour he is). BTW, if you don't have U2's latest CD "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb", I'd highly suggest that you check it out. The guitar work is amazing.

Hey, my Keef photo-sharing thread is developing some great discussion - for exampe: alternate tunings, playing style, song structure . . . Keep it coming, guys!

[Katastrophe]

Okay... How about this... To study Keef's rhythm playing is to study two terms: syncopation and space. Charlie Watts' rock solid, metronome like drumming gives Keef the opportunity to play around the beat, not just in straight time, locked in with the drummer. IMHO, every beginning player should listen to how Keef plays rhythm. The man knows when to push the beat a little bit, to add tension to a song, and when to lay back a bit to release tension (is this making any sense?).

More importantly, Keef knows when not to play. Sometimes leaving a space or rest for a couple of beats can make the guitar, when it comes back in, sound huge.

[Iago]

I came in thinking it was a Strat thread! hehehe

some say Hendrix used a telecaster for the overdubbings on Fire from his first album, but im not sure...

[kerc]

Katastrophe: Excellent analysis!

Iago: Hendrix also used a Tele for Purple Haze...

[Iago]

well, some people say it was on purple haze, some say it was only on fire, then some say it was on purple haze back again..know what I mean? hehehe All I`ve read come from guys at forums HAHAHAhahaha We need Eddie Kramer on this one! Do u have some more sources on this Kerc?

[kerc]

Dunno, bro...I read this on the book Six Decades Of The Fender Telecaster...So it might be true.

[SuperSwede]

More importantly, Keef knows when not to play. Sometimes leaving a space or rest for a couple of beats can make the guitar, when it comes back in, sound huge.

Very true! At least to my ears it sounds better with a more minimalistic approach to guitar playing than, "Hey! Lets fill every second of this song with tones, and lots of em!!" (Im talking about YOU Mr Malmsteen ). That is what keef does so good, he makes every note count. Cheers! (opens can of danish beer)

[Nelskie]

Okay... How about this... To study Keef's rhythm playing is to study two terms: syncopation and space. Charlie Watts' rock solid, metronome like drumming gives Keef the opportunity to play around the beat, not just in straight time, locked in with the drummer. IMHO, every beginning player should listen to how Keef plays rhythm. The man knows when to push the beat a little bit, to add tension to a song, and when to lay back a bit to release tension (is this making any sense?).

More importantly, Keef knows when not to play. Sometimes leaving a space or rest for a couple of beats can make the guitar, when it comes back in, sound huge.

Kat - I don't think I've ever read a better analysis of Keith's playing style. Absolutely dead-on. I've read and heard many of his peers, also legends themselves (Clapton, Townshend, Page, Gilmour), speak of his innate knack to move seamlessly in and out of a song, using both rhythm and lead work to add colorful textural elements. Even for good players, this type of playing is a huge challenge. But Keith's skills at "playing outside the box" are in many cases unmatched - even by some of today's finest players. Add to that a keen sense of "touch", and great feel for songs, and you have yourself one mighty fine guitarist.