Gibson / SG Ex Robben Ford / 1963 / Cherry / Guitar For Sale
With the notable exception of his 1960 Telecaster, blues jazz cat Robben Ford has never stuck with the same guitar for very long. He prefers to switch from one instrument to another, each time seeing what it has to inspire him, like so many artistic collaborations. Obviously, all of those guitars are excellent (otherwise Ford would not bother to look at them), and all live up to the maestro’s very specific expectations.
The same goes for this SG Standard from the very first period of that model (it still bears the name Les Paul on the truss-rod cache, a distinction that ended in 1963). This guitar served as Ford’s muse for much of the 2015 album Into The Sun. Judging by the videos of the recording sessions, this is the guitar we hear on most of the electric parts of the album, and the one that produces the burning sound of the final track Stone Cold Heaven. Ford took her on the tour for that album, then switched to another guitar once he had seen the full extent of what an SG could bring to his game.
In the meantime, he transformed it to match what he was looking for: it has been refretted with jumbo frets for a more fluid playing experience, and the original pickups have been replaced with Seymour Duncan Antiquity ones for a more modern and predictable sound. Finally, and more surprisingly, the original tremolo was a Sideways that he replaced with a Vibrola. Since Robben never uses the Vibrola as a standard tremolo, we can only guess that it was either an aesthetic choice or a sound preference, as the two designs greatly influence the resonance of the notes. Whatever the reason, this guitar is definitely a “player”, and it gave the king of modern blues an incandescent sound that he had never had before.
Matts Guitar Shop, France 
In a milieu where desirable objects are generally locked away in a safe or behind glass, Matthieu Lucas’ collection is a refreshing exception to the rule.
He represents a new generation of guitar lovers, for whom music comes first and the sound is more important than the serial number. Like any fine collection, Matthieu Lucas’ one has a speciality: he tracks down instruments that have belonged to artists, from Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster to Tal Farlow’s Gibson, not to mention Spot - one of the few sunbursts to be found in France and which belonged to a certain Joe Bonamassa.
Through perseverance, Matthieu managed to open doors that are generally kept well shut and gained access to instruments that were not even supposed to be sold. And true to the principle that the love of music comes first, Matthieu is not the type to prevent a guitarist from enjoying his or her prized jewels.
Out of that desire to share, he finally created the Matt’s Guitar Shop showroom, a special place for selling and trading that gives Paris back its reputation for excellence in the area of beautiful guitars. Inspired and inspiring instruments, which continue to bring beautiful notes to the ears of music lovers.
