DM's Beatles forums

Solo forums => George Harrison => Topic started by: Xose on November 11, 2010, 11:05:36 PM

Title: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 11, 2010, 11:05:36 PM
The Ramírez guitar that, presumably, George Harrison offered to Mary Hopkins in 1968:

(http://www.hardrockjapan.com/memorabilia/images/ueno_b_george.jpg)

The guitar is housed at Tokio Hard Rock Café.

As we can see, the relation between The Beatles and Spanish guitars (=and the Ramírez ones in particular) is still giving some interesting surprises...

Best!! ;)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 12, 2010, 09:43:09 PM
Mary Hopkin - Goodbye (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhEtYdZ3Wo#)
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 12, 2010, 11:57:21 PM
Mary Hopkin - Goodbye ([url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhEtYdZ3Wo#[/url])


Excellent Hello Goodbye!!  ;)

BTW: Jessica (=Mary Hopkin's daughter, BTW, a LOVELY girl) has just replied to my email:

"...Hello Xose

Thank you for asking about the guitar. Here's what Mary tells me:

George said to Mary that he thought she deserved a decent guitar. He disappeared from the studio and came back with the Ramierez, a very generous gift. It was the day of the Yellow Submarine premiere. Years later he admitted to her that he should have got her a folk guitar rather than a classical, but Mary did use the guitar many times over the years.

I was sad to see that it's in a glass case in a restaurant as guitars should be played, but I hear that the Hard Rock rotate their collections and I hope that it will end up in the hands of a guitarist again.

We wish you all the best with your research.

Warm regards
Jessica..."


VERY interesting...  8)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 13, 2010, 12:49:57 AM
That's a nice letter you received from Jessica, Xose.  Thank you for posting it.

The Hard Rock Cafe should give that Ramirez back to Mary.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 13, 2010, 01:00:50 AM
Now I'm trying to get a better pic of the guitar label. Why?? Because there it is the serial number and year of manufacture. With these info, Amalia Ramírez could check her archives and find when the guitar was shipped to London (=Ivor Mairants guitar shop...)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 13, 2010, 01:39:48 AM
Try here, Xose:  http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/memorabilia.aspx?LocationID=32&MIBenumID=3 (http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/memorabilia.aspx?LocationID=32&MIBenumID=3)
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 13, 2010, 09:48:32 AM
Try here, Xose:  [url]http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/memorabilia.aspx?LocationID=32&MIBenumID=3[/url] ([url]http://www.hardrock.com/locations/cafes3/memorabilia.aspx?LocationID=32&MIBenumID=3[/url])


Oh My God!!! By some reason my computer can't download that image...  ???

Can you download and zoom it??

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 13, 2010, 01:59:35 PM
George Harrison / Mary Hopkin Ramírez guitar was auctioned at Bonhams on 15 May 1997 (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370453879103&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:GB:1123). The guitar is dated 1967 and was played as well by David Bowie and Marc Bolan...

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Bobber on November 13, 2010, 04:02:22 PM
Oh My God!!! By some reason my computer can't download that image...  ???

Can you download and zoom it??

Xosé

The label is invisible unfortunately.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 13, 2010, 10:24:09 PM
I didn't have the chance to download the software necessary to view the guitar,but it looks like Bobber did.

It's too bad they didn't film a closeup of the guitar label.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 13, 2010, 10:26:17 PM
George Harrison / Mary Hopkin Ramírez guitar was auctioned at Bonhams on 15 May 1997 ([url]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370453879103&ssPageName=ADME:B:BCA:GB:1123[/url]). The guitar is dated 1967 and was played as well by David Bowie and Marc Bolan...

Xosé


...which means that somewhere along the line, Mary Hopkin parted with the guitar.  I wonder what the circumstances were.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 13, 2010, 11:12:38 PM
...It's too bad they didn't film a closeup of the guitar label.

I agree...

I have written to them asking for a pic of the label. I hope they send it to me...

...which means that somewhere along the line, Mary Hopkin parted with the guitar.  I wonder what the circumstances were.

Well. According to Jessica: "...It didn't have much use in later years as the fretboard was too wide for her folk style, and as she had other guitars she played more (her custom Zemaitis being one) she decided it was time to part with it..."

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 14, 2010, 12:31:15 AM
I agree...

I have written to them asking for a pic of the label. I hope they send it to me...

I really hope they'll oblige, Xose.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 14, 2010, 10:19:37 AM
Fingers crossed... ;)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Bobber on November 15, 2010, 09:06:56 AM
I didn't have the chance to download the software necessary to view the guitar,but it looks like Bobber did.

It was already installed. lol. You can actually zoom in on the guitar, but there's literally no light thrown on the guitar's inside. It's a black hole.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 15, 2010, 10:30:36 AM
And the Japanese Hard Rock Café doesn't reply to my email...  :-[

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 16, 2010, 09:07:51 AM
Got it!!  ;D

(http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/293/etiquetadelaramrezdemar.jpg) (http://img230.imageshack.us/i/etiquetadelaramrezdemar.jpg/)

Mr. Shinji Yoneda, from Hard Rock Café Uyeno-Eki in Tokyo, has emailed me today with the label's photo.

Best!!  ;)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 18, 2010, 06:04:00 AM
Very nice, Xose!  I'm sure you gave Mr. Yoneda a big arigatō *


*thank you
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 18, 2010, 09:24:19 AM
Oh yes... I did it ;)

Xosé
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 26, 2010, 09:50:48 AM
Quote from: Xosé
...The Ramírez guitar that...George Harrison offered to Mary Hopkins in 1968:

([url]http://www.hardrockjapan.com/memorabilia/images/ueno_b_george.jpg[/url])...


Quote from: Xosé
...Got it!!  ;D

([url]http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/293/etiquetadelaramrezdemar.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://img230.imageshack.us/i/etiquetadelaramrezdemar.jpg/[/url])

Mr. Shinji Yoneda, from Hard Rock Café Uyeno-Eki in Tokyo, has emailed me today with the label's photo...


From Ramírez archives in Madrid*:

Mary Hopkin's Ramírez was sent to Ivor Mairants on 31 August 1967.

Xosé

* I'm indebted to Amalia Ramírez for her unvaluable help...
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Bobber on November 26, 2010, 02:40:58 PM
Happy to see that there's people keeping their archive in good condition. I mean, we would have been disappointed if the paper had said the guitar was shipped to Hongkong! Great research Xose.
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Hello Goodbye on November 26, 2010, 04:56:42 PM
From Ramírez archives in Madrid*:


Mary Hopkin's Ramírez was sent to Ivor Mairants on 31 August 1967.

Xosé

* I'm indebted to Amalia Ramírez for her unvaluable help...


Happy to see that there's people keeping their archive in good condition. I mean, we would have been disappointed if the paper had said the guitar was shipped to Hongkong! Great research Xose.


Yes indeed.  Very nice, Xose!

Here are some more pictures of Mary Hopkin with the Ramirez...

(http://i54.tinypic.com/2dq5bp.jpg)

(http://i56.tinypic.com/2zqwr6a.jpg)
Title: Re: Another Beatles-related Ramírez guitar
Post by: Xose on November 26, 2010, 07:57:12 PM
Happy to see that there's people keeping their archive in good condition. I mean, we would have been disappointed if the paper had said the guitar was shipped to Hongkong! Great research Xose.

Yes indeed.  Very nice, Xose!

Here are some more pictures of Mary Hopkin with the Ramirez...

Thank you very much, guys!! ;)

Xosé