Does Keith Richards ever use the neck pickup?

[KirkDahnke]

I’ve heard that it was Keith on his Les Paul Custom Black Beauty

My favorite Keith tones didn't involve Fenders at all. The ampegs and boogie mix is the strongest rhythm tones. Now his live sound is fairly anemic. Listen to a recent version of Start Me Up. No balls.

 

[JP22]

My favorite Keith tones didn't involve Fenders at all. The ampegs and boogie mix is the strongest rhythm tones. Now his live sound is fairly anemic. Listen to a recent version of Start Me Up. No balls.

Yes I remember watching a live concert, from ‘71 I think, and being slightly disappointed that the incredible tone on most of the songs was coming from Keith’s Ampeg - rather than a Tele!

 

[PhoenixBill]

Yes I remember watching a live concert, from ‘71 I think, and being slightly disappointed that the incredible tone on most of the songs was coming from Keith’s Ampeg - rather than a Tele!

I have an early Ampeg V4 and it sounds amazing…when it’s cranked up to full volume, which of course is breaking the windows and requires wearing ear protection. Otherwise it’s just a very heavy, nice, full-bodied clean tube amp.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Currently I have a new Supro Black Magick. It with the SFT pedal and I can get there. But Keith's best tones involve a humbucker IMHO. But Keith always has good tone in the studio. My information says Brown Sugar was recorded with a Strat and a Silverface Twin that the studio owned. Probably my least favorite classic Fender products. But he made it work quite well.

 

[KirkDahnke]

I once had a 78 tele that had already been "Keefed" dont know what was in the neck but the bridge had a Quarter Pounder in it. Still the closest I've heard to a Keef tone.

 

[KirkDahnke]

I'm curious about this. This question came up on another thread, but wasn't really answered. It's hard to tell... he gets a very fat rhythm tone, but a lot of that seems to be accomplished by strumming very close to the neck, or even over the neck. Someone said that playing live, he did not use it at all. If he doesn't now, did he ever? Does he use it in the studio?

On Get Yer Ya Yas Out, on Sympathy For The Devil it sounds like he's playing rhythm on the bridge, then means to switch to the bridge for the guitar break... but forgets, hitting the first few licks before switching. Or is something else changing his tone, like an effect pedal?

Joe Satriani had a story about doing rehearsals for Mick's solo tour in Japan. I guess he saw all of Keith's guitars and they were all chewed up at the end of the neck. Like he only strums on the high end of the neck and if you watch him he does always play that way.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Assuming the intro...

to "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" is him... sure sounds like the neck pickup or at least the middle position. Could be another guitar I suppose. Or maybe Mick Taylor played that riff? Sounds like Keef to me.

I've seen Mick Taylor quite a few times live solo. I certainly think the Stones brought out the best in him. I won't say he was bad solo but the show came off like a simple bar band with a talented lead player. He wasn't playing any cool rhythm riffs at all. Certainly he did during his stones time but if you watch him when he recently joined them for some shows you can see my opinion of him these days. Only solos. No cool rhythm churning like he used to do. I think if Keith is on the track it's him doing the heavy lifting on the riffs and rhythm. They do a ton of takes in the studio even back in the day so I'm sure Keith could have gotten down a complicated part by the time they had the "take". Plus Jagger plays rhythm on the songs Keith isn't on. I think Jagger is the 2nd best rhythm player since Woody destroyed himself with drugs and he has a "wet brain". Keith almost fired Woody before the 81 tour because he couldn't stop freebasing. It was during that time period Woody lost what made him perfect for the Stones. He's a far cry from the Faces days or any of the first few Stones records he was on. Honestly I wish they would have dumped him back in 81. One of the front leaders as a replacement was Billy F Gibbons. Now that would be a great band. ZZ Top wasn't as big as they are now so I could see him taking the gig. This was before Eliminator by a couple of years.

 

[Owenmoney]

Everybody forgets Keith used Gibsons, the Plexi Dan Armstrong and the Zemaitis skull guitar which was built as a five string and the Ted Newman Jones five strings before dedicating his Teles to five string full time , he still uses Gibsons for most six string songs in standard or open D or E and he does keep a couple Teles in six string. Another thing , he originally had the Humbucker in Micawber the normal way, then reversed and I believe it is now back to the normal way. So, y'all can keep driving yourself nuts over stuff or just play your guitar, after all, that's what Keith does !

 

[Skully]

I've seen Mick Taylor quite a few times live solo. I certainly think the Stones brought out the best in him. I won't say he was bad solo but the show came off like a simple bar band with a talented lead player. He wasn't playing any cool rhythm riffs at all. Certainly he did during his stones time but if you watch him when he recently joined them for some shows you can see my opinion of him these days. Only solos. No cool rhythm churning like he used to do. I think if Keith is on the track it's him doing the heavy lifting on the riffs and rhythm. They do a ton of takes in the studio even back in the day so I'm sure Keith could have gotten down a complicated part by the time they had the "take". Plus Jagger plays rhythm on the songs Keith isn't on. I think Jagger is the 2nd best rhythm player since Woody destroyed himself with drugs and he has a "wet brain". Keith almost fired Woody before the 81 tour because he couldn't stop freebasing. It was during that time period Woody lost what made him perfect for the Stones. He's a far cry from the Faces days or any of the first few Stones records he was on. Honestly I wish they would have dumped him back in 81. One of the front leaders as a replacement was Billy F Gibbons. Now that would be a great band. ZZ Top wasn't as big as they are now so I could see him taking the gig. This was before Eliminator by a couple of years.

Everyone was excited about Taylor's return to the Stones for the 2013 tour -- me included. Then I saw the shows and... meh. Say what you want about Woody, but he outplayed Taylor on that tour.

 

[David Barnett]

And also the intro to...

Brown Sugar. That's GOT to be a neck position pickup.

Brown Sugar was Keith on an SG Std borrowed from Mick Taylor, into a Fender Twin Reverb with all the knobs on "10". There are stories that he could be heard for a couple of miles up and down AL Hwy 43.

 

[Alamo]

Everybody forgets Keith used Gibsons, the Plexi Dan Armstrong and the Zemaitis skull guitar which was built as a five string and the Ted Newman Jones five strings before dedicating his Teles to five string full time , he still uses Gibsons for most six string songs in standard or open D or E and he does keep a couple Teles in six string. Another thing , he originally had the Humbucker in Micawber the normal way, then reversed and I believe it is now back to the normal way. So, y'all can keep driving yourself nuts over stuff or just play your guitar, after all, that's what Keith does !

Lets not forget the iconic "Honky Tonk Women" is, as you all know, played in open-G. but it sounds just as iconic played on Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Telecasters. one could come to the conclusion: Tone is in the Fingers

 

[KirkDahnke]

Brown Sugar was Keith on an SG Std borrowed from Mick Taylor, into a Fender Twin Reverb with all the knobs on "10". There are stories that he could be heard for a couple of miles up and down AL Hwy 43.

That's cool. I always heard it was a Strat through the studio's silver face Twin at top volume. Personally I dislike those two products played together. It makes more sense that it was a SG. Heard the Strat/Twin many times though and Keith did play a Strat during the 72 tour at least. I'm always happy when he's got some humbuckers going. More balls.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Lets not forget the iconic "Honky Tonk Women" is, as you all know, played in open-G. but it sounds just as iconic played on Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Telecasters. one could come to the conclusion: Tone is in the Fingers

yep and on the 81 tour they where actually using mesa heads and cabs. which leads me back to Fender into Fender doesn't sound as good for the ragged rock we love so well from them.

 

[KirkDahnke]

yep and on the 81 tour they where actually using mesa heads and cabs. which leads me back to Fender into Fender doesn't sound as good for the ragged rock we love so well from them.

I know Keith likes to use small fenders in the studio. I've got an old Champ that sounds like God's Balls when cranked and mic'd. I was always shocked.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Jagger is a good player. Especially when you consider the amount of takes they do on songs. He did Moonlight Mile guitar parts too. Jagger wrote the words and music to Brown Sugar without Keith.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Lets not forget the iconic "Honky Tonk Women" is, as you all know, played in open-G. but it sounds just as iconic played on Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Telecasters. one could come to the conclusion: Tone is in the Fingers

Keith playing Brown Sugar on a Strat in 72.

 

[KirkDahnke]

Let's not forget his Travis Beans into a Boogie. God, I wish I could nail that slap back.

 

[57joonya]

Assuming the intro...

to "Can't You Hear Me Knockin" is him... sure sounds like the neck pickup or at least the middle position. Could be another guitar I suppose. Or maybe Mick Taylor played that riff? Sounds like Keef to me.

It’s Keith ,for sure . I think it’s his highest achievement, as far as opening riffs go. Possibly one of the greatest ever recorded by anyone.

 

[KirkDahnke]

It’s Keith ,for sure . I think it’s his highest achievement, as far as opening riffs go. Possibly one of the greatest ever recorded by anyone.

Definitely not Taylor. He's just not that good of a rhythm player. Great player but not his style. Gotta watch him live to figure him out.

 

[57joonya]

Definitely not Taylor. He's just not that good of a rhythm player. Great player but not his style. Gotta watch him live to figure him out.

Totally .
You see the stones live , u know exactly what they’re doing/ who’s doing what