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Although Hank has talked in interviews about playing a Les PAul, that's the first time I've ever seen photographs!

George

It's just...well...wrong, that's all!

Interesting - I remember reading somewhere that the Les Paul was part of the 'image' that the fans rejected whilst urging MWF to play Shads instrumentals instead of 'the new stuff'...

Still, you can't beat the 'real thing' when it comes to guitars IMHO! (see pic).

Old hat....

From memory of interviews at the time, Hank actually had two Les Pauls: the Deluxe seen in the pics above and a Custom.

In a Feb 1976 interview for "International Musician" (the UK magazine, not the USA one of the same name) he said that he stopped using the Gibsons (and presumably got rid of them) because of their weight and because he decided he wanted a guitar with tremolo.

Tentatively, I suggest that this may have been causally connected with the loss of his Burns guitars in 1972, covering the period between that theft and the purchase of a blond Strat from Barratt's of Manchester.

In another interview (can't remember when, though it a long time ago) Hank also cited tuning problems with the Les Pauls, both his own and John Farrar's. I can confirm that the LP is difficult to keep in tune unless you use at least a set gauged at 11-49 or so.

HTH,

JN

Speaking of Hank pictured with other guitars than Fender or Burns, I just saw again recently an old picture of Hank with his Guitar Syndicate guys, and he is using what looks like a custom job with humbuckers, and a small neo-cutaway solid body, but it is definitely NOT a Les Paul- I seem to recall he said in an interview that it was built by Roger Giffin?

Perhaps the fotos have bin fotoshopped?

cockroach wrote:Speaking of Hank pictured with other guitars than Fender or Burns, I just saw again recently an old picture of Hank with his Guitar Syndicate guys, and he is using what looks like a custom job with humbuckers, and a small neo-cutaway solid body, but it is definitely NOT a Les Paul- I seem to recall he said in an interview that it was built by Roger Giffin?

'Roach,

Do you mean this one (Griffin)? As you can see by the other pics here, it is one of many Hank has had over the years.......

cockroach wrote:Speaking of Hank pictured with other guitars than Fender or Burns, I just saw again recently an old picture of Hank with his Guitar Syndicate guys, and he is using what looks like a custom job with humbuckers, and a small neo-cutaway solid body, but it is definitely NOT a Les Paul- I seem to recall he said in an interview that it was built by Roger Giffin?

Do you have this picture of Hank and the musicians on the Guitar Syndicate album? I would love to see it!

I saw Hank using a Les Paul for "Love Deluxe" on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, London.

Don't forget the Japanese made HM Strat (1988-1992) that Hank played at the Knebworth Festival in 1990 :


(pic captured from the DVD).

The same one :


(pic found on the net)

Didier