Matty Healy has been using some stunning vintage guitars on tour with The 1975 – including a ’60s ES-330 used on a classic Talking Heads album
The guitar has also been played by Blondie.
Credit: Harmony Gerber/Getty Images
It’s no secret that The 1975 and vocalist Matty Healy are influenced by Talking Heads, but it goes beyond taking influence from their music to actually using the same guitar – a ’60s ES-330.
Yep, the controversial frontman has been using some beautiful vintage guitars during the band’s current tour, including an early CBS Fender Telecaster and a Gibson ES-330 from the mid-1960s. He’s got an impressive collection, to say the least.
Belgian singer-songwriter Milo Meskens was at one of the band’s Europe shows on their Still… At Their Very Best tour, and took to his Instagram Story to say that he saw Healy “bring out a bunch of gorgeous vintage guitars again, like this early CBS Tele and mid-sixties ES-330,” alongside a close-up of the singer playing the red ES-330.
Healy replied by reposting Meskens’ story, adding some additional context to the instruments. “One of my favourite guitars,” he said, “Got from an NY guy who used to engineer for Blondie and Talking Heads.”
He explained that the guitar was actually used on Talking Heads’ second album, More Songs About Building and Food.
Meskens also pointed out another ES-330 Healy was using in a black finish, saying, “This guitar fascinated me. Judging by the shape of the ears on the body and what appeared to be a 14-degree angle on the headstock, this has the specs of another mid-’60s 330… [I] Don’t think I’ve ever seen another stock all-black mid-60s 330. If this is the original colour, that’s a rare guitar, and hella cool to see Matty Healy bring it out on tour.”
And Healy replied to this, too, confirming that it was a real black ES-330, and that it took “ten years of searching” to find it. He bought it alongside a Gibson J-45, the only guitar he refuses to bring on tour.
The 1975’s tour continues in Europe this month, taking in cities including Berlin, Milan, and Amsterdam. You can get tickets at the1975.com.