Gear Breakdown: The Rolling Stones 1969 US Tour
The 1969 Rolling Stones’ tour of the United States, along with their subsequent concert album Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out, is one of the most legendary tours and live albums in the band’s storied history. In this blog, we want to highlight the incredible gear used by the band during this period. The tour consisted of 24 shows over 30 days, marking the band’s first return to the States since 1966, following Brian Jones’ death and their infamous drug bust in 1967. Woodstock had just made shockwaves throughout the country in August, and with the Rolling Stones being one of, if not the hottest band in the world at this time, the stage was set for a tour of epic proportions. This tour is particularly notorious for the concert at Altamont Speedway in California, where clashes between the crowd and the Hells Angels ultimately resulted in a fan’s death. The concert, incident, and aftermath were captured on film and released in 1970 simply titled Gimme Shelter. For this blog, we will focus on the gear used by Keith Richards, and the band’s newest member at the time, Mick Taylor.
Starting with the legend himself, Keith Richards used a variety of guitars throughout the set to achieve different tones. Although he is well-known for his love of the Telecaster, Richards opted not to use one at all during this tour, favoring mainly Gibson instruments. The two guitars he used most were his 1957 Gibson Les Paul Custom for songs like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Street Fighting Man,” and his 1959 Gibson Les Paul in Sunburst with a Bigsby for other songs like “Honky Tonk Women.” Keith was one of the first to popularize playing a “Burst” in the 1960s, and he clearly favored this particular example with a Bigsby. The strong PAF pickups provided the aggressive attack needed to perfect his tone for those songs. We’re lucky at Well Strung Guitars to have several examples of these incredible guitars!
Another guitar Keith used for several hits during this tour, such as “Satisfaction” and “Under My Thumb,” was a newly acquired 1969 Gibson ES-355 in Walnut. Although he later became well-known for using a 1959 ES-355 in Factory Black, this 1969 model is likely one of his first ES-355s used on stage.
The last guitar we’ll focus on that Keith used during this tour is the newly acquired 1969 Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite guitar. This instrument gained significant exposure in Keith’s hands during this time and played a major role in popularizing both the guitar and bass models. These guitars were incredibly innovative, not only for their use of plexiglass as a body material but also for their easily interchangeable Bill Lawrence-designed pickups. We’ve been fortunate to have both the guitar and bass models, and we’re always amazed by their unique feel and sound; it’s no wonder Keith even showed Jimi Hendrix this new guitar during the tour!
Fresh from a short stint with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones in June of 1969 after impressing both Jagger and Richards in the studio while recording Let It Bleed. In contrast to Richards’ arsenal of guitars, Taylor opted to use just one throughout the set: his 1963 Gibson SG Standard in Cherry. Taylor’s SG appears as an unmodified piece with a factory-fitted Bigsby B5 “Horseshoe.” He described his choice to use this guitar as follows: “I just remember loving that guitar – I must have loved it a lot, otherwise I wouldn’t have forsaken a Les Paul to play that. I played both, but I think I preferred that SG because it had a very wide neck, and a very flat neck, and the action was absolutely superb.” Based on the SGs we have from the same era, his assessment is spot on!
Bill Wyman also adopted a brand new instrument for this tour that later became his go-to model: the Fender Mustang Competition Bass. Wyman is seen throughout the tour wielding a 1969 Mustang Bass in the striking finish of Blue and another Mustang Bass in Orange. Charlie Watts played his newly acquired Gretsch Round Badge Kit in Black Diamond Pearl for the US Tour.
The Rolling Stones’ 1969 American tour, particularly the harrowing events at Altamont, marked a pivotal moment in the band’s history, reflecting the tumultuous spirit of the era. By examining the instruments used by the band, we gain deeper insight into their musical evolution and the unique sounds that define this iconic tour. Each guitar and bass tells a story, contributing to the raw energy and iconic performances that captivated audiences then and now. As we celebrate this remarkable chapter in rock history, we invite you to explore these incredible instruments and perhaps find one that resonates with you. Whether you’re a seasoned musician or a passionate collector, the legacy of these guitars continues to inspire. Reach out to us to discover the perfect piece for your own musical journey!
Works Cited
“Gibson | Les Paul Custom (Serial No. 7 7277) | the Metropolitan Museum of Art.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/754376. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Gimme Shelter. Directed by David Maysles et al., Cinema 5, 6 Dec. 1970.
Marc Myers (16 November 2010). “The Rolling Stones at the Altamont Speedway – WSJ”. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704361504575552162427609400
“Mick Taylor – Gibson SG.” Iconicguitar.com, 2020, www.iconicguitar.com/2011/08/mick-taylor-gibson-sg.html. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.
Stones Fan Channel. “1969 U.S. Tour – Gear Used by “the Rolling Stones.”” YouTube, 13 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj2ym7EFeoU. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.