For a musician, their instrument can literally become a part of them. It becomes a member of the family. And is always treated with great care.
But there are also times when a musician will donate a favoured guitar or other instrument to charity for an auction or to become part of an exhibit in a museum.
Then there are the times when an instrument is fought over like custody in a divorce.
Such is the case with a guitar currently in display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Former member of the Rolling Stones Mick Taylor claims that the guitar was stolen and belongs to him.
A 1959 Gibson Les Paul, The Met says that the guitar was “a landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the golden age of American guitar making” that was donated by billionaire investor and guitar collector Dirk Ziff.
The Met made the announcement of the “gift” in May. Taylor said that he recognized the “distinctive starburst finish” on the guitar; adding that he hadn’t seen the guitar since 1971. At the time the Rolling Stones were recording their “Exile on Main St” album at a villa in South France that Keith Richards had rented. Supposedly a number of instruments disappeared and were believed to have been stolen.
Taylor says that the guitar is his but according to the provenance records held by The Met, Taylor’s name does not appear in the records. The Met spokesperson Ann Ballis said, “this guitar has a long and well-documented history of ownership.”
Taylor business manager and partner Marlies Dammin said that The Met should present the guitar for inspection. In a statement she noted, “an independent guitar expert should be able to ascertain the guitar’s provenance one way or the other.”
One thing that is included in the provenance is that Keith Richards not only owned the guitar; but played it during the Rolling Stones first television appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964.
Nicknamed the “Keithburst”, fellow guitar legends Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page also played the guitar. Taylor claims that Richards gave him the guitar in 1967 – two year before he joined the Rolling Stones to replace Brian Jones. Taylor left the band in 1974.
Taylor’s manager and publicist Jeff Allen reported “he (Taylor) told me he got it as a present from Keith. Mick did tell me that the guitar solo that he became quite famous for, on ‘Can’t You Hear Me Knocking,’ was with the Les Paul that got stolen.”
According to the provenance, Keith Richards owned the Les Paul starburst until 1971 then going to manager and record producer Adrian Miller who died in 2006. From that point the guitar changed ownership many times.
Miller put the guitar up for auction in 2014 with Christie’s but the guitar failed to sell. Ziff purchased it in 2016 and loaned it to The Met in 2019 for the exhibit “Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll”.
The Met is planning to open a new gallery dedicated to American guitars. The state that Taylor (or any of his representatives) has yet to contact them.