Page 55 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

THE UK’S FIRST LES PAUL

uring his long career as a player with the
likes of The Heavy Metal Kids, Curtis Knight,
Andy Fraser and Phil Lynott among countless
D others, Cosmo has owned many historic
instruments. It’s also a distinct possibility that he’s
been playing vintage Les Pauls longer than practically
anybody else in the UK, so catching up with him
presents a rare opportunity to hear more about the
pleasures and pitfalls of gigging and recording with
some of the world’s most desirable vintage guitars.
Right away, we’re astonished to learn that Cosmo
bought his first Burst in 1963, at the age of just
13 – and has never been without a vintage Les Paul
since. “I’ve always played Bursts,” he explains. “The
first one I got from McCormack’s Music in Glasgow.
They weren’t very popular then, but I just loved it
and it felt great. It was only about £100, although
that was a lot of money at the time. “A friend called
Fraser Watson had one and he was in The Poets, The

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