George was one of the first guitarists I looked up to as a kid and he’s still one of my biggest guitar heroes, can’t believe it’s been nearly 20 years since he passed away
That was awesome I always knew he was a huge fan of the Gretsch guitars and Rickenbacker guitars and some of the other ones like the Rosewood Tele and the multi colored Strat and Les Paul but some of the other guitars are something else to see especially the obscure ones all though I didn't see the Gibson hollow body electric that he played in the video End of the Line when he was in the group The Traveling Wilburys the reallity is that there was probably a lot of one off type of arrangements of guitars that may never known of again that was awesome he was a very incredible musician R. I. P. George Harrison.
My first electric guitars were a Rickenbacker 325 and a Gretsch Tennessean because both of my idols were in the group that I idolized. George was such a under appreciated guitarist. He was never a crass, outlandish showman. Less was more.
Stop this video for a few minutes at 1:22 and just let that image sink in. What you're seeing there is hope in the eyes of 3 kids, who went on to become the greatest music icons in the history of humanity. What an amazing image.
I'm a DRUMMER and I absolutely relished this detailed chronology of George's guitars. But hey, I'm also a huge, lifelong Beatles fan! They're such lovely instruments to look at and I appreciated the technical details of what makes one better than another. George was a consummate craftsman. Just listen to the uncanny maturity and elegance he brings to his solos on "Till There Was You" or And I Love Her." And he's 20! Thank you for this video, I know a lot of research went into it! Cheers!
Wow, I thorougly enjoyed this video, it's fascinating seeing George playing the different guitars through videos and performances and knowing where they actually came from.
The ES-345 first shown at 12:35 that you mentioned is seen in the "We Can Work It Out"-video is also seen in the "Day Tripper"-video as well. Great video as always btw!
As a child back in the 60s I believe it was that twangy electric guitar sound when the Beatles first became famous here in America that attracted me to the guitar. "I wanna hold your hand" and "She loves you" sounded so exciting you couldn't help but be drawn in to that electric guitar sound. That groovy metallic shimmer changed everything.
16:11 I was at Delaney's house in 2002 and he showed me the guitar ( I didn't ask to play it..). He also said George gave him the guitar in appreciation for teaching him slide guitar. Delaney was great and understand why he had to auction it - wonderful it made it back to the Family 💕
Yr amazing ! Extraordinary research. Like you they're ingrained in my DNA. We are unbelievably fortunate to have grown up in the 60's because of them. They had more influence in my life than anything else in the 60's. Love this sort of background detail. Well done.
Thanks for the very interesting video and all the well researched info. One thing, though: The small Zemaitis guitar that Harrison is playing at 17:39 is not the same instrument seen in the next shot, from the solo tour, at 17:51 . If you look closely you can see that the second guitar has a larger body, the waist indentation of the body is further from the sound hole. Also compare the way he's holding the two guitars. The first one is quite small and is cradled easily in George's right arm, the second has a much larger lower bout which George could not have held in that position. They apparently do have the same rosette design, so they look the same at first glance, but on closer inspection they are clearly two different guitars.
That thumbnail photo is a poster photo of the perfect image. of a rock and roll musician and the perfect guitar an AWESOME sight. George Harrison his favorite guitar was Gretsch guitars. no matter what other guitars he played. he always gravitated back to Gretsch guitars.
I was discussing the positive vs the deleterious consequences of the world wide web and your presentation is emblematic of informative and high quality presentations. Thank you very much for this extremely well researched video.How anyone could give it a thumbs down and illustrates the "pearls to swine" scriptural adage.
George Harrison has got to be one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. From that incredible Rock-a-Billy twang he got with the early Beatles to the more sophisticated sound he got off of Rubber Soul, Sergeant Pepper and of course Abbey Road, with that beautiful tone and those awesome chops. His solo work such as; All Things Must Pass and Dark Horse, along with a host of others was also outstanding, and the great work he did with the Traveling Wilburys. Granted, they were an all star line up, which he played a huge role.
George actually used the Tennesean alot in the studio. Its on A Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale, HELP, Rubber Soul, and appears in Sgt. Peppers sessions photos..
I find history like this very interesting and a listen to the Beatles channel on Sirius all the time, driving around signing full volume with my finger stuck in my ear to get the harmonies right ever since the Beatles. Never forget them when Denver allowed them, the first rock and roll Band to play Red Rocks they switched from 30 watt amps to 100 watts on guitars just to handle the screaming girls. Quite the experience topped off with a tab of Orange SunShine Wow.
Thank you for showing us George’s guitars. Even for one who’s not a guitarist or musician this is interesting. I have a great love for his guitar work and his music, and now I know more about the instruments he used creating it 🎶❤️
I didn’t realize George had so many guitars through the years of the Beatles. I thought the Rickenbacker was his primary guitar. He did have the Les Paul in the promo “Revolution,” but, apparently, they didn’t do the instrumentals in their “Revolution,” video, they did do the vocals though. Rock on! Damn, I miss George and John!
The Revolution and Hey Jude clips were from a tv show. They sang live over backing tracks, which were rough mixes of the studio versions that were prepared for the show. That's why the guitars in the Revolution video sound live and heavy, it's the way they were mixed. I believe I read this in that book that documents the Beatles studio sessions.
Excellent! I always wondered about that lovely Gibson 345 - where it came from and where it went, and why it disappeared from pictures after the end of 1965. Cheers!
Always love seeing photos of George!! 🙂 A few things though... George's first band was The Rebels Before The Beatles were The Silver Beetles, then The Beetles Rocky was Sonic Blue, not Daphne Blue
Only yesterday I found a picture of George in 1993 playing a Brian May Red Special guitar! How cool is that!? Just imagine how it would sound with George in control, I've always wanted to hear the solo from While My Guitar Gently Weeps on a red special. It could really nail that screaming quality....
Your research is spot on. Just a follow up on the Lucy guitar. In the early 1970’s it was stolen in Los Angeles and quickly sold to a pawn shop in Santa Monica. A customer from Mexico quickly bought it, and returned to Guadalajara, leaving no contact information. George, with the help of Norman Harris from Norms Rare Guitars located the man, and traded him two sunburst Les Pauls for Lucy
back in 1987 I was a friend of Miguel Ochoa when he used to work at Nadine's Music. This was the year of Harrison's comeback album. George referenced in an interview that some "Mexican" stole his Les Paul and he had to go through a lot to get it back. Miguel didn't steal the guitar he saw it hanging in a Pawn Shop. He said he thought wow that's a vintage Les Paul I want that now and paid $500 for it and he gave his phone number to the pawn shop owner because the guitar had just shown up (Miguel said it was stolen by a disgruntled groupie) and it hadn't been cleared by the cops. Later that day the pawn shop found out that indeed the guitar was stolen and provided the cops with Miguel's number but... Miguel had a gig in Mexico and was in route. Harrison's people contacted him and wanted the guitar back but Miguel was like... it's mine now and I'm in Mexico you want it back bring me a similarly valued replacement and we'll swap. So two of Harrison's people brought two les pauls with them to Mexico and Miguel gave them the guitar (aka lucy) in exchange for one of the other les pauls. He then traded it for a 1957 sunburst strat that was his dream guitar and he still owned that circa 1987. I told Miguel he should write a letter to the guitar magazine with a picture of himself and his strat and the real story but he was a humble guy and wouldn't do it.
I have the Guitar Player magazine from Nov. 1987 featuring Harrison's collection at home. The Gretsch Jet Firebird is hanging on his wall, so he must have kept it, or liked it enough to search high and low to find one like it.
What a WONDERFUL Vid, I don't know why, but I find all of the Information rather EXCITING. You left no Stone unturned, BRILLIANT! The BEATLES to me, are the MOST INFLUENTIAL ROCK BAND OF ALL TIME, they are my Most FAVORITE BAND! The instruments they Played, Individually and Collectively are Extremely important to me. AWESOME Vid, 🎸💚♥️
I like the Eagles more... Only because Joe Walsh is one of my favorite guitar players/singers/writers of all time. Beatles had some great songa though. It's too bad they broke up due to woman drama.
He was such a pure soul. The story of him giving the strat/champ combo to his friend, and him reciprocating by using it in his show is just a great story.
so many intersting stories about guitars back in the 60-70s. To see how they all changed hands is so crazy. My fave is peter green's (founder of fleetwood mac) he had a 1959 Les Paul, a standard one would be hundreds of thousands today, let alone Peter's one! Back in the day he sold it to a guy called.....Gary Moore, all he asked for is was "what i paid for it" which i think was about £300. And now, recently, the guitarist of Metallica, bought it for millions!
The Rickenbacker 425 was in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. It was in an oblong glass case lying on it's back. I had my nose to the glass trying to memorize every aspect of it.
Hats off to you sir for knowing even which model of Egmond that was. I started on a very similar Egmond guitar. It was rubbish and is the reason I am not famous. Funny how George seemed to get on OK. Anyway fascinating vid as usual.
Great every time agsin this series "History of his guitars". Always extremely well prepared and detailed information. Hats off of my friend. Unfortunately, George Harrison is one of the most underrated guitarists. Enjoyed watching. 👍🏽👌🏽
What's striking is how much less hung up on gear Harrison and co were. Just tools of the trade really. A mid level guitar player today is so hung up his tone that they forget it's all about songs and songwriting at the end of the day.
John Lennon’s famous radio over-the-phone interview comment- quote fits perfectly here, He said “ I’m an artist, give me a tuba and I’ll make something of it “
Mark Donen: I agree, I saw Buena Vista Social Club on Amazon some years back. I had been off music for a while but this was Ry Cooder and it was only $5,00 so I bought. What a gr8 choice, The musicians are worth fractions of ours in the west but they love their life and show it. Seeing Compay Segundo enjoying his life at about 90 yrs, wow. Ibrahim Ferrer has been 4 times to the town where I live in the UK. We are so lucky.
A long time friend of mine was George's body guard at the time of his death. After his death he was with George's widow going to I believe he said Australia. He says the airline was telling him that he would not be able to board with George's guitars. They insisted that they be checked in with the luggage. He pulled someone in charge aside and in a low voice he asked do you know who's guitars these are? Then told them. After that there was no problem boarding with them in hand. He says they were his most known and prized instruments. He worked for Gavin DeBecker and George's location in his last days was very hush hush. He met Paul McCartney and took him to Gavin's home in LA where George passed away. I can't imagine being a part of that.
Thanks for being a keeper of the flame! Your series of Beatle guitar-history videos is really well done and I appreciate the hard work it took to make them. I had always wondered what George’s “Lucy” guitar looked like. Now I know. ¡Bien hecho!
I didn't know that George's first Gretsch was a Duojet. Thanks for another incredibly researched guitarology on George Harrison, Ramon. Brilliant, as ever!
Lee Murray Maybe...Gretsch seems to be the sound that Harrison kept returning to though. Interesting that he gave the Duojet to Klaus Voorman who returned it to George after 20 years and then George used it on his CLOUD NINE album.
Lee Murray Yes, Lee, hard to say which is George's favourite guitar brand. He would probably pick a ukulele! He plays one on the FREE AS A BIRD Lennon/Beatles track and according to Tom Petty, he kept a trunk load of ukes in his car so it wasn't Les Paul who was his formative influence. It was GEORGE FORMBY!!! lol
Zemaitis 12-string is not Ivan the Terrible, Ivan had a heart-shaped sound hole. George's lotus shaped sound hole is one of 3 made with the style sound hole.
What a great and timely story! We were just talking among us about a particular sound that I argue was a Gretsch which was my favorite Beatles sound. Can someone help me identify guitars used in certain early songs? Its so long ago now....my hindsight memory is that George played the Gretsch but then I think, wait, Gretsch wasnt the lead, wasnt it always rhythm riffs played by John? I can go back and start listening to songs and then maybe someone with more knowledge can say, yeah THATS the Gretsch, Model XXX etc. I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much for bringing this great story!
At 8:12 is first pic I've seen of John's Gibson with him holding it and it had the mark on it beside the bridge that it had after many years of absence . Only now , I believe the guitar was the missing Lennon Gibson .
Very accurate research! The only thing you didn’t mention was when “Lucy” got stolen, and George had to buy some Mexican guy a Les Paul to get it back. Can you do a video on George’s amps? Have you thought about it? Too hard to trace.
PS. Watching the Clip of George Playing Lucy whilst Tearing through Revolution is Nothing Short of KILLER! Loved Seeing George on the Roof Top Laying it Down with that GORGEOUS Rosewood Telecaster........🎸💚
Fantastic video, thanks. I’m lucky enough to own a few of the guitars mentioned in the video, but I’ve got a few more to tick-off yet!George and John’s Strats were Sonic Blue though, not Daphne Blue, right?
He always played clean rock-a-billy electric on early Beatle records, after he went to India(after he got close up to a sitar with his pal Ravi) he developed his own particular style with distinctive lead guitars and chord progressions, and when ever I heard them I knew instantly it was George !!!!
Something worth noting about Rickenbacker 12 strings is they put the bass or root strings first and the octave second. The traditional way is the opposite. Making the guitar sound way better in my opinion.
@@seanbean4682 Seriously! And I HATED restringing those 12s. I agree with Brian Nagy that this creates a cool and very distinct sound that other electric 12s don't get.
A GREAT chronology of George's guitars. He obviously had no problem giving away things from the " Material World " even when he was living in it. I understand that Dhani still has many, including the " Rocky " that was previously Sonic Blue. I believe Lennon's ( sanded down ) Epiphone Casino is in a museum in Tokyo. I wonder what happened to Lennon's Sonic Blue Strat...... There are no pictures of him with it after 1965 when he was recording at EMI ( Abbey Road ). I believe Pete Hamm's brother still has that ' 64 ' SG.
At 5:47 the 1957 black Gretsch Duo Jet came from Manny’ Music, not Sam Goody’s which was a record shop. A pretty minor mistake in a video that is this comprehensive! Thanks for your work.
jts3339 The band I played in the early days use to buy our instruments and amps from Manny's Music in NYC. It was the most famous music store on music row in NYC. Manny had photos of every group or musician of any fame that came into his store hanging on all the walls inside the store. I do remember seeing the photo of the Beatles signed "Too Manny" with the autographs of all the Beatles on the photo. Manny retired and sold the store to a music chain store. I don't know what happened to all the photos that manny had but I doubt they stayed with the store when it was sold!
John Adams: I visited Manny’s every time I was in NYC and even managed to take my son there before they sold the property to Guitar Center. The fantastic autographed pictures were memorialized in a book called “Manny’s Wall of Fame” that is worth purchasing if you’re an old time Manny’s fan like so many of us.
@@johnadams5489 It was actually Sam Ash, which used to be across the street. They ran it under the Manny's name for many years until they got tired of having to pay the family license fees. Now every single one of those stores is gone. Sam Ash is in a shitty location on 34th Street, and Rudy's has a luxury store in SoHo which seems to be doing well but doesn't have the charm of that crammed little hole in the wall on 48th.
@@JohannesLabusch The music district in New York city was one of the few places where a musician could buy what they need and find what they want in stock at several stores on 48th street. Even though the band I was in were not even from New York, we were well treated when we walked into the store. Those were the good old days.
George also had a fondness for the ukulele. He would encourage anyone around him to pick up the ukulele, and as well as John Lennon and Paul McCartney both being players, friends would get roped in to have a strum. George's son Dhani is a fan of the uke also.
lol - how do you give away SO MANY GUITARS ?! I've been trying my best to get stuff and give it away to good homes but geeze, this man is a saint with no equal.
LOL I see someone else already called you out on "Shea"; I'll do Miss Pedantic and point out it's "Lucille" Ball (of I Love Lucy fame). Fantastic video--thank you. By the time I got my Duo Jet, they were double-cut with Burns trems. Alas . . .
Oh. Dear nice George, leaving life too soon. John and Paul were super producers of good songs, very busy, as they sometimes missed that they was four talented stars in the band. The polite guys Ringo, and George, went often outside the creative early stages of the productions. The B, went famous, by new written their style of songs including polyphonic voices, at least in the first years. I would have heard more from theirs at the Beatle time. The nice Rickard "Ringo" Starkey, is still with us, but Oh, what I miss Mr Harrison.
George was one of the first guitarists I looked up to as a kid and he’s still one of my biggest guitar heroes, can’t believe it’s been nearly 20 years since he passed away
Thanks Andrew
George just seemed so genuine and down to earth and was a fantastic guitar player loved by many.
I agree thanks Brian
Yeah I love George Harrison's album Clod nine it's a great album. Jeff Lynne did a great job as well mixing the album.
That was awesome I always knew he was a huge fan of the Gretsch guitars and Rickenbacker guitars and some of the other ones like the Rosewood Tele and the multi colored Strat and Les Paul but some of the other guitars are something else to see especially the obscure ones all though I didn't see the Gibson hollow body electric that he played in the video End of the Line when he was in the group The Traveling Wilburys the reallity is that there was probably a lot of one off type of arrangements of guitars that may never known of again that was awesome he was a very incredible musician R. I. P. George Harrison.
My first electric guitars were a Rickenbacker 325 and a Gretsch Tennessean because both of my idols were in the group that I idolized. George was such a under appreciated guitarist. He was never a crass, outlandish showman. Less was more.
thanks for your comment James
How did you afford those as your first electrics?
Stop this video for a few minutes at 1:22 and just let that image sink in. What you're seeing there is hope in the eyes of 3 kids, who went on to become the greatest music icons in the history of humanity. What an amazing image.
Thanks
Great history review of my favourite Beatle and the tools of his trade.
Pleasure David
I'm a DRUMMER and I absolutely relished this detailed chronology of George's guitars. But hey, I'm also a huge, lifelong Beatles fan!
They're such lovely instruments to look at and I appreciated the technical details of what makes one better than another. George was a consummate craftsman. Just listen to the uncanny maturity and elegance he brings to his solos on "Till There Was You" or And I Love Her." And he's 20!
Thank you for this video, I know a lot of research went into it! Cheers!
Pleasure and thanks for a great comment
As Les Paul said of George "few guitarists have anything to say. George had something to say."
Well done... comprehensive, highly informative, and without any distracting nonsense.
Nice work and amazing details. Thanks for taking the time to write & research!
Pleasure bro
Wow, I thorougly enjoyed this video, it's fascinating seeing George playing the different guitars through videos and performances and knowing where they actually came from.
You missed the fretless guitar that Bartell built for John Lennon who gave it to George.
I know because he gave it to me.
Amazing I'll try to include it in the future email me please
The Guitar Show great, will do.
@@Whamystrang This isn't THE Ray Russell is it ?
Lynda McArdle yes it is the real one!
@@Whamystrang Well, well...it's a small world....I've always admired your playing on the albums I own with your name on the credits !
The ES-345 first shown at 12:35 that you mentioned is seen in the "We Can Work It Out"-video is also seen in the "Day Tripper"-video as well. Great video as always btw!
Thanks
As a child back in the 60s I believe it was that twangy electric guitar sound when the Beatles first became famous here in America that attracted me to the guitar. "I wanna hold your hand" and "She loves you" sounded so exciting you couldn't help but be drawn in to that electric guitar sound. That groovy metallic shimmer changed everything.
great comment Bob
16:11 I was at Delaney's house in 2002 and he showed me the guitar ( I didn't ask to play it..). He also said George gave him the guitar in appreciation for teaching him slide guitar. Delaney was great and understand why he had to auction it - wonderful it made it back to the Family 💕
Yr amazing ! Extraordinary research. Like you they're ingrained in my DNA.
We are unbelievably fortunate to have grown up in the 60's because of them.
They had more influence in my life than anything else in the 60's.
Love this sort of background detail. Well done.
Thank you!
EXCELLENT video .... Lean Lots ! Thank you :)
Thanks for the very interesting video and all the well researched info.
One thing, though:
The small Zemaitis guitar that Harrison is playing at 17:39 is not the same instrument seen in the next shot, from the solo tour, at 17:51 . If you look closely you can see that the second guitar has a larger body, the waist indentation of the body is further from the sound hole. Also compare the way he's holding the two guitars. The first one is quite small and is cradled easily in George's right arm, the second has a much larger lower bout which George could not have held in that position. They apparently do have the same rosette design, so they look the same at first glance, but on closer inspection they are clearly two different guitars.
Thanks Mark - and thanks for the corrections! Thats the great thing about the comment section - we can get the info correct thanks again!
I recall seeing George "in the zone" on a video or two--that place we guitarists go when our guitars are doing all the thinking and all the talking.
That thumbnail photo is a poster photo of the perfect image. of a rock and roll musician and the perfect guitar an AWESOME sight. George Harrison his favorite guitar was Gretsch guitars. no matter what other guitars he played. he always gravitated back to Gretsch guitars.
Good and informative video. And I’m glad you did it for all three of the guitar players, fun to binge watch haha!
My pleasure glad you watched all 3!
Really interesting show Love all those amazing guitars. Thank you for your show
Pleasure John
Thanks again for the show. I was wondering maybe a Pete Townsend could be a possibility
You deserve a TH-cam best video award for the John and George Guitar videos 🏆!
I was discussing the positive vs the deleterious consequences of the world wide web and your presentation is emblematic of informative and high quality presentations. Thank you very much for this extremely well researched video.How anyone could give it a thumbs down and illustrates the "pearls to swine" scriptural adage.
Pleasure and thank you
George Harrison has got to be one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. From that incredible Rock-a-Billy twang he got with the early Beatles to the more sophisticated sound he got off of Rubber Soul, Sergeant Pepper and of course Abbey Road, with that beautiful tone and those awesome chops. His solo work such as; All Things Must Pass and Dark Horse, along with a host of others was also outstanding, and the great work he did with the Traveling Wilburys. Granted, they were an all star line up, which he played a huge role.
Plus his body of Slide stuff....so unique & really ALL his own too huh' G588!!??.....
Very nice video....lots of good info. Thank you!
10:18 that's so nice of John to let George have that guitar. For he does suits it! 💛❤💙💚💜
A captivating description of (mostly) great guitars -- thanks for doing this.
Pleasure Brian - thanks
George actually used the Tennesean alot in the studio. Its on
A Hard Days Night, Beatles For Sale, HELP, Rubber Soul, and appears in Sgt. Peppers sessions photos..
George did not have the Tennessean at the time of 'A Hard Day's Night'.
@@drutgat2 He did have the Tennesean during A Hard Days Night. He got it in late 1963. And he used it on that Soundtrack...
George war ein klasse Mensch. Was soll man noch sagen? I am a Fan of him since i am a child. '65 Germans love it
Thanks very much for the comment
@@TheGuitarShow sehr gerne!
WOW...the background & information sounds as if you were his best friend and band member thru life, *AMAZING* !
pleasure - thanks for watching
I find history like this very interesting and a listen to the Beatles channel on Sirius all the time, driving around signing full volume with my finger stuck in my ear to get the harmonies right ever since the Beatles. Never forget them when Denver allowed them, the first rock and roll Band to play Red Rocks they switched from 30 watt amps to 100 watts on guitars just to handle the screaming girls. Quite the experience topped off with a tab of Orange SunShine Wow.
George was quite generous about giving away his old guitars...whether for charity or to friends and fellow musicians.
Yes he was! Thanks for watching!
omfg that was incredible, I can't believe how emotional I got watching this video , tears and goosebumps, thank you very much sir
Pleasure Joe, glad you liked it!
Thank you for showing us George’s guitars. Even for one who’s not a guitarist or musician this is interesting. I have a great love for his guitar work and his music, and now I know more about the instruments he used creating it 🎶❤️
Pleasure is mine Grete - thanks for watching
My favorite of the beatles. Great video. Loved how his playing progressed over the years with all these beautiful guitars. Thanks great job.
I didn’t realize George had so many guitars through the years of the Beatles. I thought the Rickenbacker was his primary guitar.
He did have the Les Paul in the promo “Revolution,” but, apparently, they didn’t do the instrumentals in their “Revolution,” video, they did do the vocals though. Rock on!
Damn, I miss George and John!
Thanks for the comment! Thanks also for the info on the Revolution video!
The Revolution and Hey Jude clips were from a tv show. They sang live over backing tracks, which were rough mixes of the studio versions that were prepared for the show. That's why the guitars in the Revolution video sound live and heavy, it's the way they were mixed. I believe I read this in that book that documents the Beatles studio sessions.
The Rickenbacker was John's primary instrument in the beginning of the Beatles fame. George mainly played Gretch guitars at that time.
Hi just a quick note, The blue Strats were Sonic Blue according to the reciept, thanks for your upload
Thanks for the correction - and thanks for watching!
love the information... I thought there were a few more Gibson (maybe 335, 355, etc) during maybe '65-'68. Thank you for all you do..!!
Glad you enjoyed it Andrew - many thanks
Once again. You knocked it out of the park
Pleasure Stevie!
I'm glad I found your videos. Fascinating and very complete work. Thank you!
Excellent! I always wondered about that lovely Gibson 345 - where it came from and where it went, and why it disappeared from pictures after the end of 1965. Cheers!
Pleasure thank you for watching
You gotta love George! Great video! Thanks!
Pleasure Criss
Watching" Concert For George" right now on PBS.Some really great musicians paid tribute to this incredible musician.
That's an amazing concert - thanks!
Yes I agree - I liked Joe Brown playing the Uke - See you in my dreams' that was a great ending!
Is that Robben Ford to the right at 17:53? Looks like him. Thanks for posting this.
Yes it is David - thanks for watching
To get hired by George Harrison and Miles Davis in one lifetime is quite an accomplishment.
Always love seeing photos of George!! 🙂
A few things though...
George's first band was The Rebels
Before The Beatles were The Silver Beetles, then The Beetles
Rocky was Sonic Blue, not Daphne Blue
Very informative and well done.
Thanks Barry
miss John & George & George dearly. WHAT TALENT THEY HAD
Agreed Mark
Only yesterday I found a picture of George in 1993 playing a Brian May Red Special guitar! How cool is that!? Just imagine how it would sound with George in control, I've always wanted to hear the solo from While My Guitar Gently Weeps on a red special. It could really nail that screaming quality....
The solo on while my guitar gently weeps is mainly Eric Clapton not George.
Your research is spot on. Just a follow up on the Lucy guitar. In the early 1970’s it was stolen in Los Angeles and quickly sold to a pawn shop in Santa Monica. A customer from Mexico quickly bought it, and returned to Guadalajara, leaving no contact information.
George, with the help of Norman Harris from Norms Rare Guitars located the man, and traded him two sunburst Les Pauls for Lucy
Great vid lots of information, thanks for putting it together 👍
back in 1987 I was a friend of Miguel Ochoa when he used to work at Nadine's Music. This was the year of Harrison's comeback album. George referenced in an interview that some "Mexican" stole his Les Paul and he had to go through a lot to get it back. Miguel didn't steal the guitar he saw it hanging in a Pawn Shop. He said he thought wow that's a vintage Les Paul I want that now and paid $500 for it and he gave his phone number to the pawn shop owner because the guitar had just shown up (Miguel said it was stolen by a disgruntled groupie) and it hadn't been cleared by the cops. Later that day the pawn shop found out that indeed the guitar was stolen and provided the cops with Miguel's number but... Miguel had a gig in Mexico and was in route. Harrison's people contacted him and wanted the guitar back but Miguel was like... it's mine now and I'm in Mexico you want it back bring me a similarly valued replacement and we'll swap. So two of Harrison's people brought two les pauls with them to Mexico and Miguel gave them the guitar (aka lucy) in exchange for one of the other les pauls. He then traded it for a 1957 sunburst strat that was his dream guitar and he still owned that circa 1987. I told Miguel he should write a letter to the guitar magazine with a picture of himself and his strat and the real story but he was a humble guy and wouldn't do it.
Thanks for an amazing comment Greg!
He said it “was stolen and I had to buy this Mexican guy a Les Paul to get it back”. Never said a Mexican stole it.
Great story👍👍🇬🇧
Incredible photos!
Pleasure thanks!
I have the Guitar Player magazine from Nov. 1987 featuring Harrison's collection at home. The Gretsch Jet Firebird is hanging on his wall, so he must have kept it, or liked it enough to search high and low to find one like it.
thanks for this
What a WONDERFUL Vid, I don't know why, but I find all of the Information rather EXCITING. You
left no Stone unturned, BRILLIANT!
The BEATLES to me, are the MOST
INFLUENTIAL ROCK BAND OF ALL
TIME, they are my Most FAVORITE
BAND! The instruments they Played, Individually and Collectively are Extremely important to me. AWESOME Vid,
🎸💚♥️
I agree - thanks for watching!
I like the Eagles more... Only because Joe Walsh is one of my favorite guitar players/singers/writers of all time.
Beatles had some great songa though. It's too bad they broke up due to woman drama.
Fantastic---really really enjoyed that!!
Pleasure thanks for watching!
Wow that was incredible. I often wondered what those unusual one-offs, were. Now I know. Thanks
Pleasure! Thanks for watching
He was such a pure soul. The story of him giving the strat/champ combo to his friend, and him reciprocating by using it in his show is just a great story.
Great job on all, nice delivery, well researched. Easy watch! Thank You.
Many thanks indeed
Yes...I made it “this far” and enjoyed every second of it.....thank you.
pleasure - thanks for watching
Thank you for the history lesson. Never knew that George had so many guitars, and that others would change out the same way. Well documented.
Pleasure Gerald thanks for watching.
Man, George was just giving guitars away left and right back in the day. Lol
Swapped guitars and wives with Eric
so many intersting stories about guitars back in the 60-70s. To see how they all changed hands is so crazy. My fave is peter green's (founder of fleetwood mac) he had a 1959 Les Paul, a standard one would be hundreds of thousands today, let alone Peter's one! Back in the day he sold it to a guy called.....Gary Moore, all he asked for is was "what i paid for it" which i think was about £300. And now, recently, the guitarist of Metallica, bought it for millions!
Hell he used to load up to the trunk/boot of his car with ukuleles. and go places and give them to people.
@@martincvitkovich724 😆😆😆
The Rickenbacker 425 was in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. It was in an oblong glass case lying on it's back. I had my nose to the glass trying to memorize every aspect of it.
Fantastic - thanks for watching!
Hats off to you sir for knowing even which model of Egmond that was. I started on a very similar Egmond guitar. It was rubbish and is the reason I am not famous. Funny how George seemed to get on OK. Anyway fascinating vid as usual.
Pleasure Claymor and great to hear about your first guitar
Great every time agsin this series "History of his guitars".
Always extremely well prepared and detailed information. Hats off of my friend.
Unfortunately, George Harrison is one of the most underrated guitarists.
Enjoyed watching. 👍🏽👌🏽
Thanks Will - it makes it worth it with comments like this
I don't think George is underrated by anyone. Very solid guitar player.
Excellent video, thank you.
Thanks for doing these videos, been binging on them as of late
Pleasure Thomas
What's striking is how much less hung up on gear Harrison and co were. Just tools of the trade really. A mid level guitar player today is so hung up his tone that they forget it's all about songs and songwriting at the end of the day.
Well said Mark and yes they are just tools of the trade!
A great guitar player can make a mediocre guitar sound great as well. .
John Lennon’s famous radio over-the-phone interview comment- quote fits perfectly here, He said “ I’m an artist, give me a tuba and I’ll make something of it “
Mark Donen: I agree, I saw Buena Vista Social Club on Amazon some years back. I had been off music for a while but this was Ry Cooder and it was only $5,00 so I bought. What a gr8 choice, The musicians are worth fractions of ours in the west but they love their life and show it. Seeing Compay Segundo enjoying his life at about 90 yrs, wow. Ibrahim Ferrer has been 4 times to the town where I live in the UK. We are so lucky.
A long time friend of mine was George's body guard at the time of his death. After his death he was with George's widow going to I believe he said Australia. He says the airline was telling him that he would not be able to board with George's guitars. They insisted that they be checked in with the luggage. He pulled someone in charge aside and in a low voice he asked do you know who's guitars these are? Then told them. After that there was no problem boarding with them in hand. He says they were his most known and prized instruments. He worked for Gavin DeBecker and George's location in his last days was very hush hush. He met Paul McCartney and took him to Gavin's home in LA where George passed away. I can't imagine being a part of that.
Awesome! Thank you
Pleasure
Excellent video! You really get and inside sense of how much George loved the guitar and how his style was formed by these cool instruments
Thanks Rory - yes its great to see all his tools of the trade - thanks for watching!
great video guys,at 19.05 that's a Washburn Woodstock EA40 George is playing.
Thanks for being a keeper of the flame! Your series of Beatle guitar-history videos is really well done and I appreciate the hard work it took to make them. I had always wondered what George’s “Lucy” guitar looked like. Now I know. ¡Bien hecho!
Badfinger were a Swansea, Wales band..
Thanks - yes I major mistake I made there!
great job i really enjoyed that
Thanks Mark
I didn't know that George's first Gretsch was a Duojet. Thanks for another incredibly researched guitarology on George Harrison, Ramon. Brilliant, as ever!
I'm guessing he wanted something close to a Les Paul.
Lee Murray Maybe...Gretsch seems to be the sound that Harrison kept returning to though. Interesting that he gave the Duojet to Klaus Voorman who returned it to George after 20 years and then George used it on his CLOUD NINE album.
@@moniquedouglas2448 Yes, but in the Revolution official video, he is playing a Les Paul, so maybe he was fond of that design style.
Lee Murray Yes, Lee, hard to say which is George's favourite guitar brand. He would probably pick a ukulele! He plays one on the
FREE AS A BIRD Lennon/Beatles track and according to Tom Petty, he kept a trunk load of ukes in his car so it wasn't Les Paul who was his formative influence. It was GEORGE FORMBY!!! lol
Monique Douglas Ok, but still, he still probably liked single cutaway guitars.
examples - Les Paul, Duo Jet, Gretsch Tennesseean, Hofner Club 40
Excellent vid. A lot of work went into this
Thanks Woody! Yes, it did! lol
Zemaitis 12-string is not Ivan the Terrible, Ivan had a heart-shaped sound hole. George's lotus shaped sound hole is one of 3 made with the style sound hole.
Thanks for this info Rick!
What a great and timely story! We were just talking among us about a particular sound that I argue was a Gretsch which was my favorite Beatles sound. Can someone help me identify guitars used in certain early songs? Its so long ago now....my hindsight memory is that George played the Gretsch but then I think, wait, Gretsch wasnt the lead, wasnt it always rhythm riffs played by John? I can go back and start listening to songs and then maybe someone with more knowledge can say, yeah THATS the Gretsch, Model XXX etc. I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much for bringing this great story!
Nice rundown...very informative!
Thanks Susan
Is it possible to make a video of the history of his guitars in his solo career
Great idea there's definately more guitars to cover!
At 8:12 is first pic I've seen of John's Gibson with him holding it and it had the mark on it beside the bridge that it had after many years of absence . Only now , I believe the guitar was the missing Lennon Gibson .
Thanks for this Ken
George also had a resonator guitar built by Portland, Oregon luthier John Greven. I believe he can be heard playing slide on it on Crippled Inside.
Very accurate research! The only thing you didn’t mention was when “Lucy” got stolen, and George had to buy some Mexican guy a Les Paul to get it back. Can you do a video on George’s amps? Have you thought about it? Too hard to trace.
Thanks for this info ill definitely do a video about his amps soon
So many guitars that I never even noticed!
The “Rocky” Strat can also be seen in Tom Petty’s video for “I Won’t Back Down”
Does anyone know who’s explorer that is at 18:15 ? Looks Korina
That was Great ! Nice Job !
pleasure!
PS. Watching the Clip of George
Playing Lucy whilst Tearing through Revolution is Nothing
Short of KILLER! Loved Seeing
George on the Roof Top Laying it
Down with that GORGEOUS
Rosewood Telecaster........🎸💚
Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching!
Fantastic video, thanks. I’m lucky enough to own a few of the guitars mentioned in the video, but I’ve got a few more to tick-off yet!George and John’s Strats were Sonic Blue though, not Daphne Blue, right?
Thanks Tom
He always played clean rock-a-billy electric on early Beatle records, after he went to India(after he got close up to a sitar with his pal Ravi) he developed his own particular style with distinctive lead guitars and chord progressions, and when ever I heard them I knew instantly it was George !!!!
He once said that he hated the sound of Gretsch with Vox. Maybe he was Just tired and want Change again
Squier Strat owners must be celebrating George playing one in concert!
Absolutely!
Something worth noting about Rickenbacker 12 strings is they put the bass or root strings first and the octave second. The traditional way is the opposite. Making the guitar sound way better in my opinion.
Great comment thanks
They sound great, but like all Rickenbacker instruments they're a nightmare to set up and maintain.
@@seanbean4682 Seriously! And I HATED restringing those 12s. I agree with Brian Nagy that this creates a cool and very distinct sound that other electric 12s don't get.
Great video :) thanks for all the effort u have put in!
A GREAT chronology of George's guitars.
He obviously had no problem giving away things from the " Material World " even when he was living in it.
I understand that Dhani still has many, including the " Rocky " that was previously Sonic Blue.
I believe Lennon's ( sanded down ) Epiphone Casino is in a museum in Tokyo.
I wonder what happened to Lennon's Sonic Blue Strat......
There are no pictures of him with it after 1965 when he was recording at EMI ( Abbey Road ).
I believe Pete Hamm's brother still has that ' 64 ' SG.
Ah I think the sonic blue Lennon strat was stolen from the Abbey Road instrument store -can anybody confirm this?
At 5:47 the 1957 black Gretsch Duo Jet came from Manny’ Music, not Sam Goody’s which was a record shop. A pretty minor mistake in a video that is this comprehensive! Thanks for your work.
jts3339
The band I played in the early days use to buy our instruments and amps from Manny's Music in NYC. It was the most famous music store on music row in NYC. Manny had photos of every group or musician of any fame that came into his store hanging on all the walls inside the store. I do remember seeing the photo of the Beatles signed "Too Manny" with the autographs of all the Beatles on the photo. Manny retired and sold the store to a music chain store. I don't know what happened to all the photos that manny had but I doubt they stayed with the store when it was sold!
John Adams: I visited Manny’s every time I was in NYC and even managed to take my son there before they sold the property to Guitar Center. The fantastic autographed pictures were memorialized in a book called “Manny’s Wall of Fame” that is worth purchasing if you’re an old time Manny’s fan like so many of us.
@@jts3339
I wasn't sure if it was Guitar Center or Sam Ash that bought the store. I didn't know there was a book with all the photos. Thanks!
@@johnadams5489 It was actually Sam Ash, which used to be across the street. They ran it under the Manny's name for many years until they got tired of having to pay the family license fees. Now every single one of those stores is gone. Sam Ash is in a shitty location on 34th Street, and Rudy's has a luxury store in SoHo which seems to be doing well but doesn't have the charm of that crammed little hole in the wall on 48th.
@@JohannesLabusch
The music district in New York city was one of the few places where a musician could buy what they need and find what they want in stock at several stores on 48th street. Even though the band I was in were not even from New York, we were well treated when we walked into the store. Those were the good old days.
George also had a fondness for the ukulele. He would encourage anyone around him to pick up the ukulele, and as well as John Lennon and Paul McCartney both being players, friends would get roped in to have a strum. George's son Dhani is a fan of the uke also.
I also play the Uke I love it!
Haha great discription!
@@TheGuitarShow Me too, I had a Uke before a guitar and I have never lost my love for them. I often take a Guitalele travelling with me.
lol - how do you give away SO MANY GUITARS ?! I've been trying my best to get stuff and give it away to good homes but geeze, this man is a saint with no equal.
LOL I see someone else already called you out on "Shea"; I'll do Miss Pedantic and point out it's "Lucille" Ball (of I Love Lucy fame).
Fantastic video--thank you. By the time I got my Duo Jet, they were double-cut with Burns trems. Alas . . .
Oh. Dear nice George, leaving life too soon. John and Paul were super producers of good songs, very busy, as they sometimes missed that they was four talented stars in the band.
The polite guys Ringo, and George, went often outside the creative early stages of the productions. The B, went famous, by new written their style of songs including polyphonic voices, at least in the first years. I would have heard more from theirs at the Beatle time. The nice Rickard "Ringo" Starkey, is still with us, but Oh, what I miss Mr Harrison.
GRACIAS! Ramón
De nada mi amigo
Was the Gretsch that fell off the car one of the two at 8:00?
Yup. It fell off the van and ran over by a convoy of trucks.