Mark Knopfler
\n(1949)<\/p>\n
Must-listen track: Sultans Of Swing<\/p>\n
Who would have thought that four musicians roaming London bars playing J.J. Cale covers would become THE benchmark band of \u201980s rock?<\/p>\n
Yet this was the extraordinary destiny of Dire Straits, the band of two brothers\u2014one an art college lecturer (Mark Knopfler) and the other a social worker (David Knopfler)\u2014who ended up selling over one hundred million albums. They launched their quartet in 1977, surrounding themselves with John Illsley on bass and Pick Withers on drums. Very quickly, the single Sultans Of Swing propelled the band from opening act to headliner, and the second album Communiqu\u00e9 (1979) drove the point home in the same direction. During the recording of Making Movies in 1980, under the direction of producer Jimmy Iovine (the specialist in third albums, from Tom Petty to Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith), tensions between the two brothers eventually pushed David to leave the band, in an atmosphere so toxic that all the parts he recorded on the album were replaced.<\/p>\n
In 1982, Love Over Gold showed a more complex and synthetic side of Dire Straits. It features the superb Telegraph Road, which stretches over no less than 14 minutes, in which Knopfler reveals the best of his fluid, crisp, and lyrical playing. It was also the last album with Pick Withers. Ultimately, it was Brothers In Arms in 1985, with its dobro on the cover, that won all the acclaim. With more than 30 million copies sold and no fewer than five singles (including the huge Walk Of Life), it\u2019s the album that defined its era. On Money For Nothing, Knopfler abandoned his usual Stratocaster in favor of a 1958 Les Paul Standard for a riff whose sound still fascinates to this day.<\/p>\n
Uncomfortable with his fame and the enormity of the band, Mark eventually dissolved it in 1988. There was a spectacular reunion in 1991 for the album On Every Street (which included the singles Calling Elvis and Heavy Fuel), and a massive tour documented on the live album On The Night. But Knopfler\u2019s heart was already elsewhere, and he ended the band for good in 1995 before releasing his first solo album, Golden Heart. Despite its short existence, Dire Straits remains an essential reference for many musicians, the soundtrack of a generation torn between rock guitar and pop synthesizers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The greatest guitarists in history have often chosen a key model that they elevated to an object of absolute veneration. But when it comes to Mark Knopfler, the English prodigy, the task becomes delicate as the musician pursued his quest for sounds throughout his career. While his legendary 1961 Stratocaster repainted in red is part of the classics in his arsenal, he also turned to Gibson in his relentless search for the desired tones. Thus, he took up the Les Paul to record numerous hits and to go on several tours, including notably the timeless riff of Money for Nothing. This Gibson Les Paul Mark Knopfler Aged Artist Proof 6 is an exceptional guitar based on his favorite 1958 Les Paul, which is part of the artist proof series that preceded the production models.<\/strong><\/p>\n When Mark Knopfler took hold of the Les Paul reference, he sought the qualities of the original Bursts. He then found in a 1983 \u201959 Reissue the tones he desired, shaping it according to his needs. The one heard on Money for Nothing or Brothers in Arms deepened Knopfler\u2019s particular love for Les Pauls. Always inspired by the unique sound of the model, he acquired two original Bursts, a 1958 and a 1959, a few years later. Although the latter is considered the most desirable vintage, Knopfler tends to prefer the former. It\u2019s the one heard on the album \u201cGolden Heart\u201d and which he brought on stage many times. This guitar was Mark Knopfler\u2019s favored creative partner for several years, shaping the sounds of some of the English guitarist\u2019s most beautiful songs.<\/p>\n It is precisely on this 1958 Burst Les Paul that Gibson Custom Shop based a limited series. The best craftsmen carried out several intensive and meticulous X-ray analyses of the original to reproduce the neck profile, the carving of the top, the look, the feel, and the tones of Knopfler\u2019s original \u201958 Burst. It features a wonderfully aged sunburst finish, period-correct nickel hardware, and carefully wound Custom Bucker PAF pickups to make it a guitar astonishingly realistic compared to the original. The guitar offered by Matt\u2019s Guitar Shop is an extraordinary example that belongs to the Artist Proof models intended to be validated by the master. As artist proof number 6, this Les Paul is an extraordinary prototype with phenomenal sound, bringing together Gibson\u2019s best efforts in one guitar. It is a very rare Les Paul that precedes a very successful limited edition capturing the essence of Mark Knopfler\u2019s demanding tone… To be discovered only at Matt\u2019s Guitar Shop!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[358,361,353],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16800","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-guitars","7":"product_cat-electric-guitars","8":"product_cat-sold","9":"pa_artiste-mark-knopfler-en","10":"pa_disponibilite-sold","11":"pa_marque-gibson-en","13":"first","14":"outofstock","15":"shipping-taxable","16":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n