DM's Beatles forums

Other music forums => Musician's Corner => Topic started by: Bobber on January 04, 2006, 09:03:59 AM

Title: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Bobber on January 04, 2006, 09:03:59 AM
Nice site on the Beatles guitars: http://www.nickmartellaro.info/
This site also contains nice pictures of the boys playing their instruments (for instance: a couple of Paul playing the Fender Jazz Bass and a Telecaster.)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on January 04, 2006, 06:27:33 PM
^Good site, Bobber, cheers!

I like this:

http://perso.wanadoo.es/sissu/maingear.htm

...and its links!!!

After all, all the sites go round in circles: they all are very similar and their links always the same.
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Mean_Mr_Mustard on January 14, 2006, 01:06:23 AM
Yeah that is my fav too Raxo.
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 01, 2007, 08:52:26 PM
(http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4180/rickenbackersdi8.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 02, 2007, 05:54:46 AM
Ah, a thread started before my arrival.  Thank you for that link, Bobber!

Nice to read about my 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman, like George's second Country Gent with two Filtertrons and the two flip up mute switches:

(http://www.nickmartellaro.info/gear/george/pics/gentleman2_1.jpg)

I'll take a picture of mine to post.

(For those times I try so hard to sound like George)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 02, 2007, 11:46:20 AM
Quote from: 59
[...]

I'll take a picture of mine to post.

(For those times I try so hard to sound like George)

Wow, didn't know that you owned that guitar, Hello Goodbye, what a nice model!!!
... it's so hard to sound like George, uh? ... well, you had already said it!!! ;D ;)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 02, 2007, 08:46:39 PM
I bought it years ago raxo, secondhand.  That model had not reached collector's status when I bought it.  The 1962 and '63 Country Gents are now called the "King George" models.
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 02, 2007, 09:36:59 PM
Quote from: 59
I bought it years ago raxo, secondhand.  That model had not reached collector's status when I bought it.  The 1962 and '63 Country Gents are now called the "King George" models.
So your model is by now old enough to have became a collectable one, I guess ... do you play it often?
"King George" fits better than "Quiet George"!!! ;D

Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 03, 2007, 12:15:56 AM
Quote from: 297
... do you play it often?

Quite often.  It has that distinctive early Beatles sound.

Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 03, 2007, 12:31:41 AM
Quote from: 59

Quite often.  It has that distinctive early Beatles sound.


... oh, I envy you!!!  :(  ;)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 04, 2007, 12:20:39 AM
(http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/3471/georgeteaij4.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 04, 2007, 01:53:56 AM
Right, raxo.  That's his 1962 Country Gentleman with the dial-up mutes.  The guitar was stolen while in for repairs and he kept the loaner 1963 model (with flip-up mutes)

http://www.nickmartellaro.info/gear/george/gentleman1.html

I'll take a picture of mine tonight and post it tomorrow.
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 05, 2007, 11:18:36 PM
raxo,

Here's my 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman:

(http://home.att.net/~thorobred7/Gretsch_1.JPG)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 05, 2007, 11:23:04 PM
 :oOoh, such a lovely guitar, indeed!!! (thumbsup) ... how couldn't anybody want to play it forever?! I would want! I surely couldn't stop playing it!!!
Thanks for the pic, Hello Goodbye!!! :)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 05, 2007, 11:47:50 PM
Thank you, raxo.  Officially, it's the Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.  We all know that Mr. Atkins was among those who influenced George's guitar style.  George Harrison's other Chet Atkins-designed guitar was his Tennessean which he used in Help!

(http://www.nickmartellaro.info/gear/george/pics/tennessean1.jpg)

(http://beatleshelp.50megs.com/summary/caps/02_group.jpg)



Chet Atkins returned George's tribute in his 1965 album "Chet Atkins Picks on the Beatles"

(http://img1.nnm.ru/imagez/gallery/doci/lis/listen_and_read-1159653222_i_9072_full.jpg)


Definitely worth a listen!
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: RICKENBACKER325 on February 06, 2007, 04:44:17 PM
Quote from: 297
([url]http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4180/rickenbackersdi8.jpg[/url]) ([url]http://imageshack.us[/url])


Who's collection?  Lp's, j-45's Clapton "Blackie" strat, Epi casinos, Ric 360, 330, 325, 4001, Lightshow's  and I saw a capri and the legenadry frying pan lap steel. Quite impressive!
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: RICKENBACKER325 on February 06, 2007, 04:53:57 PM
Quote from: 59
raxo,

Here's my 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman:

([url]http://home.att.net/~thorobred7/Gretsch_1.JPG[/url])


Excellent! One of my favorites. How is the binding and the neck angle ? Those are the two most common thing I see in the repair shop on the vintage gretsch models. I either replace binding that has either shrank or rotted and broke away or I have to do neck resets. but that does not matter I love the old gretsch guitars and my next purchase will be the Eddie Cochran model, the one with the p-90 pick-up in the neck position. Is that a Deluxe Reverb in brown tolex lurking in the background ?
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 06, 2007, 07:44:23 PM
Hi RICKENBACKER325,

Thank you.  The original bindings and neck angle on my Country Gentleman are perfect.  I bought it at Gruhn Guitars in 1992.  I already had a 1967 Country Gentleman (Baldwin era) which I purchased from them five years earlier.  Both were checked out by my luthier, Mark Simon.  Being a luthier too, you might recognize the name.  He gave them both a "clean bill of health."  They needed no set up or adjustment of any kind.  The only thing I asked Mark to do was to replace the roller bridges with Gibson Tunomatic bridges; ebony for the 1963 and rosewood for the 1967 to match the fretboards, both completely reversible modifications.  You probably noticed this on the picture I posted.  I really like the old Gretsch guitars too.  I'm sure you'll find the right Eddie Cochran model.

Mine is the early 1963 model with two Filtertrons rather than the Filtertron and Supertron.  My 1967 has two Filtertrons and a single mute.

That's my 1963 Vibroverb Reissue amp.  I bought that amplifier about the same time I bought my 1963 Gent.
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 10, 2007, 12:05:51 AM
Quote from: 305
I love the old gretsch guitars and my next purchase will be the Eddie Cochran model, the one with the p-90 pick-up in the neck position.


1955 Chet Atkins Hollowbody 6120    Sweet guitar!

(http://www.freewebs.com/glasgow-empire/EddieCochran002.JPG)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 11, 2007, 03:41:08 AM
Here's a nice assortment of old Gretsch guitars:

(http://www.feeleverybeat.co.uk/site/supergroup11.jpg)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: raxo on February 13, 2007, 12:47:21 AM
Quote from: 59
Here's a nice assortment of old Gretsch guitars:

([url]http://www.feeleverybeat.co.uk/site/supergroup11.jpg[/url])


I can't imagine anyone other else playing one!!!! (we're still waiting for their works to be released)!!!
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Revolution on February 25, 2007, 03:30:43 AM
Quote from: 59
raxo,

Here's my 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman:

([url]http://home.att.net/~thorobred7/Gretsch_1.JPG[/url])


Can I come over and touch that guitar??????????? ;D Beautiful!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 25, 2007, 04:05:07 AM
Thank you, Revolution.  

You can even play it if you'd like!  You'd then know how George felt when he played his Country Gentleman.

(http://www.artvisionexhibitions.com/files/CBS267.jpg)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Revolution on February 25, 2007, 07:11:35 AM
Wow! I'd Love to get a semi-hollow one .Sound Great !!!!
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 28, 2007, 04:26:24 AM
It's both the semi-hollowbody and those Filtertrons that give the Country Gentleman its sound.  It's heavy guitar with, for me, a perfectly shaped neck with its ebony fretboard.  All that gold hardware against that dark mahogany.  Chet Atkins designed a beautiful and beautifully sounding guitar!

Gotta get a VOX AC-30 Twin to complete the effect!

(http://www.dijkmanmuziek.nl/catalog/images/vox_ac30cc2.jpg)
Title: Re: Beatles Guitars
Post by: Hello Goodbye on February 28, 2007, 04:59:39 AM
Gretsch has reissued the George Harrison Country Gentleman

(http://www.gretschguitars.com/repository/gretsch/images/G6122-1962-CA_xl.jpg)


Gloss urethane walnut finish and no serial number on the headstock plate.  Other than that, it appears faithful to the original.


(http://home.att.net/~thorobred7/Dscn0119a.JPG)