Thank for writing in, that’s an interesting suggestion! Jonny seems happy to play modern instruments, so it’s certainly the kind of guitar he would use, especially since it came out just a few years before Jonny picked up his Gibson Les Paul Standard. Even if it’s not the guitar Jonny plays, seems like a solid and very similar instrument!
Jonny playing his Gibson Les Paul Standard during Radiohead’s Haiti Benefit show on January 24, 2010 (coldbrains41). The band really stripped down their setup for that gig, leading to interesting differences on some songs, and Jonny’s only guitars were his Les Paul and his Fender Starcaster — no Tele Plus!
First, I should clear up the differences between the various Raw Power guitars that Gibson released over the years. The first Raw Power series was made from 1999 to 2001. Those guitars were all Les Paul Standards, and they were very similar to the regular Les Paul Standards made at the time. The only difference was the “raw” natural satin finish on the body of the guitar. The second Raw Power series was produced in 2005. The second series are also Les Paul Standard, and they look similar to the first, but feature EMG pickups. There’s rumors that only 200 second series instruments were made, but I’ve seen no real evidence. Both the first and second series have chrome hardware and white details, though some guitars from the second series seem to lack a pickguard. More recently, a third Raw Power series launched in 2009. This third series consists of Les Paul Studio and SG guitars in a variety of colors. It’s pretty difference from the past two Raw Power series, so I won’t go into it.
The most noticeable difference between the original 1999-2001 Raw Power series and Jonny’s guitar is the neck. On the Raw Power, the neck is the same color as the mahogany back of the guitar body. On Jonny’s guitar, the back of the guitar’s body is also mahogany, but the back of the neck is maple. This can be hard to see given the rosewood fingerboard, but it’s most noticeable if you look at the spot where the neck meets the body. If the neck on Jonny’s guitar is 3-piece maple, that would further confirm that it’s from the 70s or 80s.
Jonny playing his Les Paul during Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint on day 4 of the 2014 Open'er Festival (photo by Howard Melnyczuk).
Speaking of 3-piece maple, the maple top of Jonny’s guitar is also 3-piece. 3-piece tops were common in the 70s and 80s (there was even the occasional 7-piece top, which someone aptly described as looking like the lane of a bowling alley). That seems to have been more common on painted guitars like goldtops, where the wood is covered, but it can also be found burst and natural instruments from that period. By comparison, the Raw Power series seems to have stuck with 2-piece tops.
The 3-piece maple top is especially clear in this photo from The Smile’s Glastonbury performance of Skirting On The Surface on May 22, 2001. Note the paler wood on the lower third of the guitar.
The finish on that maple top is also a noticeable difference. The original Raw Power series has a light satin finish, and that finish seems to bring out the grain quite noticeably on some examples. The satin finish also has a bit of a pale color, similar to the natural wood color.
By comparison, Jonny’s guitar seems to have a gloss finish. This seems to have slightly more of an orange color, though that doubtless varied depending on the wood and the year. However, the reflection from that gloss is what gives the impression of a “goldtop” Les Paul in older low-quality photos.
Jonny performing Loop with the London Contemporary orchestra at the Wapping Hydraulic power station on Feb 23, 2014 (youtube). Something about the lights on stage and the lower quality cameras really seems to bring out the glossy orange look, and also pixelates the wood grain, which explains why so many think it’s a goldtop (well, that and Ed borrowing Johnny Marr’s goldtop during the recording of In Rainbows). You wouldn’t be off base to suggest that he is playing a goldtop in that screenshot, but other footage from the same video reveals the joins and grain of the 3-piece maple top of his natural Les Paul.
Still, the Raw Power seems like a good way to get a very similar guitar for a cheaper price. Though if you want to save money, you can easily put PAF-style pickups in a cheaper solid-body with the same scale-length, and get the same sounds (so long as the instrument is set up properly and intonates well). As long as the neck is glued on right, there isn’t much to go wrong on a Les Paul-style guitar, at least compared to hollow-bodies or acoustics where small differences can have a dramatic effect on tone. So these days, you can find excellent solid body guitars from other companies (that wasn’t so true in the 70s or 80s), and with the right pickups a classic Gibson sound is very attainable.xfint