Ted Newman-Jones (fabricante de guitarras de Keith Richards ) falleció a los 67 años

"Dame cinco minutos y voy a hacer cualquier sonido de la misma guitarra . Dame diez minutos y me aseguraré de que estoy alcanzando uno de mis Newman-Jones. -Keith Richards

El diseñador y constructor de guitarras Ted Newman-Jones, quien hizo una serie de guitarras eléctricas personalizadas para Keith Richards en la década de 1970, murió el pasado viernes (1/7). Simplemente conocido como Newman para sus amigos, él también construyó guitarras personalizadas para Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Ronnie Wood, el fallecido James Honeyman-Scott de The Pretenders, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson y Joe Ely, entre otros. Además, formó la legendaria Fender Stratocaster de Eric Clapton conocido como "Blackie" - que se vendió en una subasta en 2004 por casi 1 millón de dolares  - de una serie de Strats que Clapton había comprado en Nashville.

Despues de Clapton , Richards recibe referencias de  Newman-Jones, que entonces vivía en el sur de Francia trabajando en  Exile on Main Street. Newman se convirtió entonces en el  hombre de confianza  de la guitarra de Richards en la gira de 1972 y los subsiguientes tours  Stones hasta 1979.

Fue en esa gira del '72  que Jones diseñó y construyó su primer instrumento para Richards. El guitarrista de los Stones había estado tocando con  cinco cuerdas abiertas - afinación G  - que proporcionó su distintivo ataque de guitarra rítmica - en una Fender Telecaster. Newman hizo una guitarra eléctrica de cinco cuerdas a medida para tal uso. Más tarde se construyó una serie de otras guitarras de Richards para reemplazar los instrumentos que perdió cuando su casa en Inglaterra, en Redlands, fue robada mientras vivía en el exilio en Francia.

Después de la última gira de Newman con los Stones, Richards le dio varios miles de dólares para establecer una tienda en Austin, TX. Sus diseños  también eran conocidos por su sonido oscilante y acabados elegantes. Un verdadero artesano, podría ser lento en la construcción de un instrumento, pero asegurándose de que cada detalle para un trabajo perfecto  . Sus guitarras,  de inmediato se convirtieron en preciadas posesiones. Durante un tiempo, a finales de 1990 Newman-Jones estaba haciendo un diseñado de guitarra "Austin especial" para  Chandler guitarras con sede en California  hasta que Newman tuvo  un enfrentamiento con la empresa.

Ted Newman-Jones ( Keith Richards’ Guitar Maker ) Dead at 67

Give me five minutes and I’ll make any guitar sound the same. Give me ten minutes and I’ll make sure I’m reaching for one of my Newman-Jones. -Keith Richards
Guitar designer and builder Ted Newman-Jones, who made a number of custom electric guitars for Keith Richards and was the Rolling Stones axe-man’s tour guitar tech in the 1970s, died last Friday (7/1). Simply known as Newman to his friends, he also built custom guitars for Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Ronnie Wood, the late James Honeyman-Scott of The Pretenders, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson and Joe Ely, among others. As well, he put together Eric Clapton‘s legendary Fender Stratocaster known as “Blackie” – which sold at auction in 2004 for nearly $1 million – from a number of Strats that Clapton had purchased in Nashville.

After doing so, Clapton referred Newman-Jones to Richards, then living in the South of France and recording Exile on Main Street. Newman became Richards’ right-hand guitar man for the 1972 Rolling Stones tour and subsequent Stones tours through 1979.

It was on that ’72 tour that Jones designed and built his first instrument for Richards. The Stones guitarist had been playing a five-string open-G tuning – which provided his distinctive rhythm guitar attack – on a Fender Telecaster. Newman made Richards a five-string electric customized for such use. He later built a number of other guitars for Richards to replace instruments he lost when his home in England, Redlands, was burglarized while he was living in tax exile in France.


Following Newman’s last tour with the Stones, Richards gave him several thousand dollars to set up shop in Austin, TX. He catered to the special needs of the player and knew the importance of the musician being inspired by his instrument. Ted’s balanced body style and unique asymmetrical “V” neck carve made Newman Guitars legendary. His builds were also known for their rocking sound and elegant finishes. A true craftsman, he could be painstaking slow when building an instrument, making sure every last detail was not just correct but perfect. However, when his customers finally got their guitars, they immediately became prized possessions. For a while in the late 1990s the California-based Chandler Guitars was making a Newman-Jones designed “Austin Special” guitar until Newman has a falling out with the company.


Since Newman-Jones only built a limited number of instruments, they were high-priced items whenever one came on the market, and his passing will only make them more valuable. His recent assistant, Jeff Smith, had actually sought out the guitar maker to work with him after reading this writer’s 1981 article on Newman in Guitar World. He hopes to continue making a Newman-Jones Keith Richards model guitar with the help of an instrument manufacturer.

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