Objects of Their Affection: Five Musicians and the Instruments They Love

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Alejandro Escovedo & His Gibson 339

In the story of Alejandro Escovedo and his Gibson 339, Keith Richards cameos as a grizzled rock ’n’ roll cupid. It was the sight of Richards on the gatefold of the Rolling Stones’ Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) that set off Escovedo’s lifelong love affair with Gibson guitars. “He’s wearing blue sunglasses and he’s holding this beautiful Hummingbird,” Escovedo says. “And I just always loved the sound of those Gibsons on those Stones records.” Although Escovedo’s 339 is only about a year old (bought as a replacement for the ’56 Gibson J-45 that had been his companion for many years), his connection to the new six-string was immediate. “I knew as soon as I picked it up, basically. I just knew it.” As Escovedo describes the 339’s qualities—the woody tone, the way it jangles, how it can “roar when you need it”—it becomes easy to appreciate the old saw “it takes an experienced eye to truly value a thing of beauty.” (Click on image to view full size.)