DM's Beatles forums
Solo forums => George Harrison => Topic started by: Xose on November 11, 2010, 11:05:36 PM
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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
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Mary Hopkin - Goodbye (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbhEtYdZ3Wo#)
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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
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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.
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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...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
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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.
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Fingers crossed... ;)
Xosé
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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.
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And the Japanese Hard Rock Café doesn't reply to my email... :-[
Xosé
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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
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Very nice, Xose! I'm sure you gave Mr. Yoneda a big arigatō *
*thank you
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Oh yes... I did it ;)
Xosé
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...The Ramírez guitar that...George Harrison offered to Mary Hopkins in 1968:
([url]http://www.hardrockjapan.com/memorabilia/images/ueno_b_george.jpg[/url])...
...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...
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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.
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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)
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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