I can help. I am personal friends with Michael Kelly Smith. His Tobacco Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard is from the early to mid 1970's. It has had (3) headstock repairs. The pickup's are Gibson original T-Top's. Mike had the covers removed in the 1980's because according to him "that was the look I was going for". Mike told me he met Michael Schenker when he was a teenager and he said Michael Schenker told him not to change the pickup's as Schenker went on to tell Michael that the Gibson pickup's were really good. Michael acquired a really nice "yellow" Charvel , with a reverse headstock, model with the single humbucker and Floyd Rose Tremolo. That humbucker is a "Seymour Duncan Custom" which is similar to DiMarzio's Super Distortion. It has ceramic magnets. The Seymour Duncan "Custom Custom" is the Alnico V version. Michael began a long standing relationship with B.C. Rich Guitars soon after and can be seen playing a Strat style B.C. Rich with a single Seymour Duncan "Custom" humbucker with U.F.O. (not the band rather outer space flying saucer) style graphics painted on the body. Michael has an identical B.C. Rich with either a Pig or Sheep Graphics. Michael also owns a Gibson "Heritage" Les Paul Standard (early '59 style reissue) Heritage Cherry Sunburst with flame maple book matched maple top which Gibson gave him at their showroom in NYC. "Dizzy" Dean was given a Gibson Les Paul Standard "Gold Top" at that time as well. According to Michael "Dizzy" went out to Woolworth's and bought a bag of small diamond like glass pieces which Dean glued to his "Gold Top". Michael told me when he showed up to rehearsal Dean was all excited to show what he did to his "Gold Top" to Michael. Mike said looking at the guitar up close you could see where Dean tried to spell out "DIZZY" with those fake diamond pieces but you could tell it didn't quite work out. Dean though it made his Les Paul very cool. Mike told me he thought Dean ruined his beautiful "Gold Top". If you watch the "Girlschool" video you can see Dean's "Gold Top" with the fake diamonds. Michael also owns every color acrylic B.C. Rich Mocking Bird. He was missing the "Green" version and I found one "used" at a music store in the Quaterstown Farmers Market. I called Mike and he immediately made the drive to make the purchase. Now he has every color B.C Rich made. As far as the rest of Michael's guitar collection, he owns a lot of Gibson Les Paul's, some Fender instruments (a natural finish semi-hollow body Telecaster like the one Jimmy Buffet plays exclusively), an original Dan Armstrong Ampeg Lucite/Acrylic electric guitar with the slide out interchangeable Ampeg pickup's, and some Dean electric guitars like the Dean "Explorer". Michael really loves all things 1970's. I helped him find a 1970's Gibson Les Paul Standard with a Natural finish which was in amazing condition at a small music shop. Michael told me he went in and played that Les Paul for like an hour. He said the tuners had been changed from Kluson's to Grover's which caused him to "balk" that day. Michael told me a young kid was in the store while he was playing that Les Paul and the kid was super impressed with Michael's playing that he bought that guitar based on Mike playing it. So, when Michael went back to purchase it the owner told him that kid had already bought it. I believe the original Kluson Tuning Machines were included in the guitar case too. It was kind of sad because it was exactly what Michael had been wanting for years and other than the tuners it was all original. He ended up buying a Gibson Les Paul Custom with the Natural Finish from a guy on eBay. Mike was worried about having the guitar shipped to him however once it arrived he was blown away by the MINT condition, 100% factory original condition including the HSC, and how great it played and sounds. If anyone wants more information about what equipment Michael Kelly Smith uses and owns please reply to this message or post.
David P. Makowski - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
