Syl Sylvian playing Steve Jones white Les Paul Custom?

RandallFlagg

Seen this pic pop up a few times, it appears to show Syl Sylvian playing what was to become Steve Jones iconic white Les Paul Custom that he used with the Sex Pistols. Shows that it had a Bigsby fitted originally. Holes in the guitar when Steve had it seem to back this up and verify the story that Malcolm McLaren brought it back with him after his jaunt managing the New York Dolls.

I'm not sure if the 2nd pic is the same guitar, or in fact if any of them are the same. By the time Jones had started The Professionals he was using another White LPC with the same decals but it wasn't the original one and he claims to have sold the original one several times, so who knows...

I used to gaze in awe at this guitar when I was a kid.

lewism

Sylvain maintained that the guitar was only ever on loan and that McLaren basically conned him out of it on the promise that he’d be joining the Sex Pistols. You’re right, I’d bet every white LPC Jones has sold since the Pistol was “that” one. Didn’t know it had once a a Bigsby on it, and the wrong one at that.

That guitar, via its influence on James Dean Bradield, was the reason for me getting a white Les Paul Custom. (I sold it & bought a Les Paul Junior as Thunders is much easier to copy)

I saw The Professionals a couple of weeks ago supporting the Wildhearts so they’re still going strong although sadly Steve Jones seems to have preferred to stay in LA than venture over to Wakefield.

RandallFlagg

The knobs are different colours but I guess they could have been changed

IvisonGuitars

lewism said:

I saw The Professionals a couple of weeks ago supporting the Wildhearts so they’re still going strong although sadly Steve Jones seems to have preferred to stay in LA than venture over to Wakefield.

I sang backing vocals on their new album

lewism

Well, that merits a Wow! I’ve not heard the new album, I’ve only get “The Complete Professionals” which is now somewhat incomplete. I’ll have to give it a listen.

IvisonGuitars

lewism said:

Well, that merits a Wow! I’ve not heard the new album, I’ve only get “The Complete Professionals” which is now somewhat incomplete. I’ll have to give it a listen.

I think there’s some great songs on the new record and an impressive list of guests too. Steve Jones plays on a couple of tracks, as does Billy Duffy, Phil Collen & Duff McCagan.

lewism

Downloaded it, not disappointed. You do a good “woah-oh”. Sodding typical though - having now seen Professionals, who’s the only guitarist on the list of guests on that album that I’ve never seen live? Steve bloody Jones!

lewism

And a snippet from an interview:

How did you approach the guitar from that perspective?

I was 18 or19, and had various guitars that I’d “lifted” without paying for. But the one that I started playing was the one that Malcolm McLaren actually brought back from New York that he got off Sylvain Sylvain, which was the white Gibson Les Paul. A ’74, I think it was, a white Custom.

Rumors persist that you’ve sold more than one of those.

That is true. But I never said it was the original. It might have been mine for only a month, but it was mine.