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Eric Clapton gave Keith a 1953 butterscotch blonde Telecaster for his 27th birthday – which makes him a pretty good mate in our books. Nicknamed Micawber, it quickly became the Stone’s most famous guitar. Keith’s tech switched the neck pickup to a Gibson PAF (with magnets turned backwards), and the bridge pickup was changed to a lap steel pickup similar in design to the pickups on the earliest Telecasters. Keith opted for individual saddles for better intonation. Micawber is usually tuned to open G (DGDGBD), but with the lowest string removed, turning up on live versions of Brown Sugar, Honky Tonk Women and others. Open G was a slide tuning, and Keith developed a unique rhythm style with it. The Tele is one of the few guitars that will give you more the harder you hit it, and this was ideal for his loose approach.