Scottish superstar Lewis Capaldi happened to be performing at a festival in Malta this past week when he decided to add a vintage guitar to his arsenal.
Play Vintage, which, as the name suggests, is a vintage guitar boutique and an official Gibson and Epiphone dealer, had the pleasure of welcoming Capaldi after the singer-songwriter casually walked in with a friend.
“Lewis Capaldi just walked in randomly with a friend,” Play Vintage co-founder Andrew Francica tells Guitar World.
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“We didn’t recognize him immediately – honestly thought it was James McCartney for a minute,” he quips. “We did some backline work for them a few years ago at the Isle of MTV festival, so as soon as we heard that unmistakable Scottish accent, we quickly figured it out.”
Play Vintage is run by two guitar players – Francica and Daniel Bezzina, both active in Malta’s tight-knit music scene – and has been open since 2020.
When Capaldi showed up at the store, he “tried out a bunch of different guitars – it’s funny that he liked a lot of our own personal guitars that we regularly play and gig with,” including Fender offsets and Martins.
He eventually landed on a 1920 Gibson L-3. “The Gibson he bought is a very peculiar one; it’s a small-bodied archtop with a round sound hole and a huge neck,” explains Francica.
“It sounds like a mix between an acoustic guitar and a jazz box. I think his mate sealed the deal when he told him, ‘That sounds like it’s EQ’d and recorded!’
“We love early Gibson stuff,” he continues. “It’s very particular and definitely not for everybody’s taste, but they always have a very sweet sound that’s totally unlike anything that you get nowadays.
As for the guitar itself, it is “in great condition” and, as Francica notes, “still has most of its original parts and original case; it also had a fresh refret and nut, so it is totally ready to go!”
Capaldi didn’t play it live on stage because, true to the era, “it doesn’t have any pickups.
“We suggested that he install a nice K&K pickup in it. It would be amazing to see him play that live!” Francica concludes.
Head to Play Vintage’s official website to check out the store’s full collection.
