Missing Rolling Stones guitar resurfaces in New York museum 50 years after it was stolen
The guitar, previously played by Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, is part of a 500 instrument collection on show at the New York Met.
- A 50 year old mystery over a guitar has been solved thank to a New York museum.
- A Gibson Les Paul Standard, once owned by Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, was stolen from The Rolling Stones in 1971.
- But decades later, the guitar has appeared as part of a ‘landmark’ collection of 500 guitars submitted to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
From one mystery occurring regarding stolen items from a musician, to another being solved after appearing as part of a collection acquired by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
That is where, after going missing over 50 years ago, a 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard once owned by The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, has appeared after years of speculation about what happened to it.
The guitar in question was used during The Rolling Stones’ debut on The Ed Sullivan Show in October 1964, with Richards selling the guitar to Mick Taylor in 1967. Taylor would use the guitar during the infamous Altamont Free Concert in December 1969, with other famous guitarists including Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page having also allegedly performed with the instrument.
But in September 1971, the guitar was reportedly stolen during the band’s recording sessions for Exile on Main Street at Villa Nellcôte in France, with popular opinion suggesting the theft was carried out by drug dealers, whom Richards allegedly owed money.
The guitar was stolen alongside nine other guitars, a saxophone and a bass guitar.
The guitar’s location remained a mystery until May 2025, when the New York museum announced a ‘landmark’ gift of 500 guitars and specifically mentioned the long-lost Les Paul and its appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In a report by Page Six, Mick Taylor’s business manager, Marlies Damming, confirmed it's Taylor's guitar based on its unique "flaming" pattern, which is like a fingerprint on vintage Les Paul, with an unnamed source claiming they are ‘mystified’ by its sudden appearance - as there has never been any compensation regarding the theft.
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