What happens when you turn a Fender Twin Reverb up to 10? (...) the Sex Pistols began as an anarchistic daydream of their manager, Malcolm McClaren (...) In fact, he managed the New York Dolls for a short period. Failing to collect monetary compensation for his duties, he took payment in the form of Doll’s guitarist Syl Sylvain’s white Les Paul custom, which he took with him when he flew back to London in 1975.
In the hands of one Steve Jones, of Shepherd’s Bush, London, that Les Paul would become the basis of the Sex Pistols sound. In the process, it also became a template for punk sound and a classic rock ’n’ roll look.