The night I saw him in Syracuse (Sept. 10), the guitar he was using was one of his McGuinn Limited Edition signature models. I got a chance to look at it fairly closely before the show while it was still on its stand -- the pickups on it were toasters and the headstock was channeled, not slotted through. He may well carry more than one guitar with him when touring and as one needs adjustment or restringing, he'll go to the other if he hasn't had time to make any needed adjustments or changes. It may also depend on the quality and characteristic sound of the PA system in a particular venue as to which one sounds better, and that's the one he decides to use.
All I can say is that I've seen him perform four times previously, and I don't think I ever heard his Rick or his voice sound better than that night. I had two people with me who had never seen him in concert before, and they were absolutely blown away.
BTW, I posted a tribute to him on my blog last week after seeing his show.. I normally write a comedy/humor blog, but wanted to post something while the magic was still there inside me. Note: It's not a blog or post tailored to hardcore McGuinn/Byrds/Rick fans since most of my regular readers are a cross-section of people, but rather a broad overview of Roger and the influence he's had on popular music. You can find it at:
http://tomquigley.blogspot.com/2011/09/ ... nd-me.html
Or type "Tom Quigley Sideways" into your favorite search engine and it should come up right at the top.
-- Oh, and RM has read it and let me know he enjoyed it!
Tom Q.