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Missing Rolling Stones Guitar Resurfaces in New York Museum 50 Years After It Was Stolen
NEW YORK CITY, JUL 14 – The stolen 1959 Gibson Les Paul, played by Mick Taylor and others, was part of a 500-guitar donation to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, revealed in May 2025.
- Mick Taylor's 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul, which was taken in September 1971 during the Rolling Stones' recording sessions for Exile on Main St. at Villa Nellcôte on France’s Côte d'Azur, has been located within a recently acquired collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
- The theft was reportedly committed by local drug dealers to whom Keith Richards was indebted, resulting in the loss of nine guitars along with Bill Wyman's bass and Bobby Keys' saxophone.
- Taylor, who purchased the guitar from Richards in 1967 and performed with it at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert, has stated that he was never compensated and is puzzled about how the instrument ended up among the museum’s extensive donation of more than 500 historic guitars.
- Taylor's business manager Marlies Damming confirmed the guitar's distinctive 'flaming' body pattern uniquely identifies it as Taylor's, supported by numerous photos showing him playing the instrument before it vanished.
- The rediscovery implies that the guitar’s whereabouts remained unknown for over 50 years and raises questions about provenance and compensation related to the landmark gift to the museum.
37 Articles
37 Articles
A guitar stolen during the recording of the Rolling Stones' album "Exile on Main St." in 1971 has been found in a guitar collection recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
A guitar stolen during the recording of the Rolling Stones' album "Exile on Main St." in 1971 has been found in a guitar collection recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Stolen Rolling Stones Guitar Resurfaces at New York Museum After 54 Years
A guitar stolen from The Rolling Stones more than 50 years ago has resurfaced in a collection recently acquired by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The instrument in question is a 1959 sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard, which – at the time of the burglary – had been owned by former guitarist Mick Taylor, who had previously purchased it from Keith Richards in 1967. At the time of its theft, the instrument had already been part of mus…
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