Brian Ray

When is a Hummingbird not a Hummingbird?

What’s even more rock ’n’ roll than a Les Paul-shaped swimming pool? The real thing, of course. We head to Palm Springs to catch up with Brian Ray and find out about the 1957 Goldtop he played with Etta James and Paul McCartney.

The guitarist’s collection of Gibson guitars is nothing to sneeze at.

This white beauty boasts a discrete passive “induction coil” circuit.

An acoustic, an Epiphone Les Paul and a Gibson Custom Shop SG Jr.

Feast your eyes on these immaculate 12-strings...

This gorgeous single-pickup guitar made an appearance on the TV show, Happy Days.

When it comes to original Japanese guitar designs of the mid 60s, the Teisco Spectrum 5 rules the roost…

As Paul McCartney’s guitarist, musical director for Etta James, songwriter for Smokey Robinson, solo artist, producer and plenty more besides, Brian Ray has a glittering CV. We visit his Santa Monica home to check out some instruments with a similar level of lustre…