Keith Richards's guitar strings: the open-G Telecaster rig, sourced

Documented string gauges, tunings, and the famous five-string open-G setup Keith Richards uses with The Rolling Stones. Ernie Ball Regular Slinky base, custom configurations on his Telecaster Micawber. With citations.

The Rolling Stones / Solo / X-Pensive Winos · reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team · 2026-04-30

Keith Richards is famous for his five-string open G tuning: he removes the low E string entirely from his Telecasters and tunes the remaining five strings to G-D-G-B-D from low to high. The configuration is on Micawber, his 1953 Telecaster, and on Malcolm, a 1954 Telecaster. He plays Ernie Ball custom gauges to suit the open-G-with-no-low-E setup. Standard-tuning rigs use a more conventional Ernie Ball Slinky set. The five-string open G is the signature riff voicing on 'Brown Sugar' (1971), 'Honky Tonk Women' (1969), 'Start Me Up' (1981), and most of the Stones' iconic Richards riffs.

At a glance

Role

Guitarist

Active

1962–present

Based

Connecticut / London

Genres

Affiliations

The Rolling Stones (founding rhythm guitarist, 1962–present)
X-Pensive Winos (solo project band, 1980s–present)
Fender (Telecaster, primary instrument across his catalog)
Ernie Ball (documented string user)

Notable credits

The Rolling Stones, Beggars Banquet (1968)
Let It Bleed (1969)
Sticky Fingers (1971)
Exile on Main St. (1972)
Some Girls (1978)
Tattoo You (1981)
Hackney Diamonds (2023)

Official media

Sourcing4 citations · reviewed 2026-04-30· by Change Your Strings editorial team

Who Keith Richards is

Keith Richards (born December 18, 1943, Dartford, England) is the founding rhythm guitarist + co-songwriter of The Rolling Stones, alongside Mick Jagger since 1962. The Richards-Jagger writing partnership is one of the most-cited songwriting catalogs in modern rock; the Stones records from Beggars Banquet (1968) through Hackney Diamonds (2023) span sixty-plus years of continuous output. His rhythm-guitar voicings, particularly the five-string-open-G riffs on Micawber, are among the most-imitated guitar parts in popular music.

He's also fronted his own X-Pensive Winos solo project on multiple records, including Talk Is Cheap (1988) and Crosseyed Heart (2015).

What he plays

Five-string open G tuning on a heavily modified 1953 Telecaster nicknamed Micawber, with the low E string removed and the remaining five tuned G-D-G-B-D low to high. Micawber carries a Gibson PAF humbucker in the neck position (replacing the stock Tele neck pickup), a brass bridge piece, and bridge-saddle modifications to suit the missing-low-E configuration.

He also plays Malcolm, a 1954 Telecaster with similar modifications, plus a rotation of other Telecasters, a 1957 Gibson Les Paul Black Beauty, and various acoustics. The Telecaster is the defining instrument across the catalog, and the five-string open-G Micawber spec is the canonical rhythm voicing.

For strings, he's a documented Ernie Ball user; gauges chosen to suit the open-G-no-low-E configuration. The signal chain is mostly into vintage tube amps (Fender Twin variants, vintage Marshalls) at workable volumes.

Why this fits the rig

Open G's three-finger major-chord voicings suit his rhythm-riff songwriting. Without a low E to mute, the five-string setup means every chord he plays sits on the same root pattern (the low G), which produces the signature bass-pedal anchor of his riffs. The Tele bridge pickup into a vintage tube amp at moderate gain is voiced for the pick-attack-driven rhythm tone he's known for; the PAF humbucker in the neck position lets him cover the warmer rhythm voicings without changing instruments mid-song.

The five-string configuration is mechanically calibrated to his playing: removed low E means no sympathetic vibration on a string he wasn't using anyway, and the saved physical space simplifies his right-hand attack. The configuration has remained essentially unchanged for fifty years.

If you want this rig

The five-string open-G setup is the unique element. Any Telecaster (or guitar with Tele-like bridge and a humbucker neck pickup) can be set up to spec: remove the low E, tune G-D-G-B-D, adjust the high-G saddle if needed. The Ernie Ball string side is conventional; for the open-G-no-low-E setup, players typically use the top five strings of a Regular Slinky set with the low E discarded.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Keith Richards play five strings?

He removes the low E string from his Telecasters and plays the remaining five strings tuned to G-D-G-B-D (low to high) in open G. Two reasons documented across interviews. First, the open-G tuning naturally voices major chords with three fingers in a movable shape, which suits his rhythm-riff vocabulary; with no low E, every voicing is rooted on the low G (a fifth above the missing low E), which is the canonical bass-pedal note for the songs in his catalog. Second, he's said in multiple interviews that the low E was 'just getting in the way' of the voicings he wanted. Five strings, no low E, open G is the foundational setup behind 'Brown Sugar,' 'Honky Tonk Women,' 'Start Me Up,' 'Tumbling Dice,' and most of the iconic Stones riffs.

What is open G tuning?

G-D-G-B-D from low to high, on five strings (Richards's setup). Strumming the open strings produces a G major chord, hence 'open G.' Common in slide-guitar blues, country, and (since Richards) rock-rhythm voicing. Barring the third fret produces a Bb chord, fifth fret produces C, seventh fret produces D, all major chords as movable shapes with one finger. The simplicity of the chord voicings is part of what made it work for Richards's riff-based songwriting.

What guitar is Micawber?

A 1953 (sometimes documented as 1954) Fender Telecaster with significant modifications: a Gibson PAF humbucker in the neck position (replacing the stock Tele neck pickup), a brass bridge plate with a stock-height brass saddle replaced for the high-G string position. Set up for five-string open G. Named after Wilkins Micawber, the Charles Dickens character. Most of Richards's iconic Stones riffs are tracked on Micawber. He also plays Malcolm (1954 Tele with similar mods) and various other instruments.

Does Richards play standard tuning at all?

Yes. He plays standard E tuning (six strings) on a meaningful portion of the catalog, particularly when the song doesn't hinge on the open-G voicings. The five-string open G is his signature configuration but not his only one. On records he frequently plays both standard-tuned and open-G-tuned guitars on the same song, layering the rhythm parts.

Is Richards officially endorsed by Ernie Ball or Fender?

Long-documented Ernie Ball string user without a public formal endorsement of record on the strings side. Fender has issued multiple Custom Shop replicas of Micawber and Malcolm, and the relationship with Fender on the instrument side is the formal partnership. Per FTC framing, Ernie Ball use is verified-use; Fender Telecaster use with multiple Custom Shop replicas issued is endorsed.