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Fab Gear -The Instruments of the Beatles (Инструменты Битлз)

Here’s a really cool article written by a great friend of mine. BOB MYTKOWICZ is a fine musician with whom I have had the pleasure of playing in a few different bands. He’s an accomplished guitarist, vocalist, bassist, keyboard player and drummer. He’s also valued by many as a Beatles Authority. I believe his trips to Liverpool and London happen at least twice yearly these days. Here’s an article that Bob did for Guitar Player Magazine and he has also given permission for me to reprint it here for those who want to be in the know about these guitars that played such a huge part in the history of the instrument. Many thanks, Bob! – Jack

I can still see Ed Sullivan standing there saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles!” That’s how seventy three million other people and I were introduced to the Beatles. Although I was quite young, the Beatles left an indelible impression on me. John Lennon stood on the right. In his straddle stance, he bounced slightly to the rhythm and strummed a small black guitar. George Harrison in the center, almost hidden behind a large double cutaway guitar, concentrated on his playing. Paul McCartney on the left, the most animated, played a violin-shaped guitar. The drummer, Ringo Starr, perched on a riser behind, broke into an occasional grin.

It is safe to assume that most people see this picture when they envision the Beatles. Press and photo coverage escalated when world fame struck the Beatles in 1964, and most photos show them playing the same instruments. The Fab Four did use this same gear for most of their touring years, but they possessed and used much more. As the Beatles’ studio experience grew, they often tried one of their ever-growing collection of instruments. Of course they also used other equipment on stage as well.

This article is based on photos mostly from the Beatles Book, the official Beatles monthly magazine. The Beatles Book originally ran from August 1963 through December 1969. These original issues have since been reissued, and a new version of the Beatles Book still hits the news stands each month. Beatles Book photographers had more access to the Fab Four than any other photographers. They snapped exclusive shots of the boys in both the recording studio and on stage. This article provides a thorough accounting of the Beatles’ instruments, however I’m sure there are some that were never captured on film. I am confident the equipment photographed was the main equipment they used between 1960 and 1969.

In 1960, the Beatles played Hamburg, Germany for the first time. At this point there were five Beatles – John, Paul, and George on guitars, Pete Best on drums, and Stuart Sutcliffe on bass. Only Teisco Del Rey could appreciate the instruments they played then. John used a Hofner guitar, model 126/B. This was a single pickup, blonde finished guitar similar in shape to a Les Paul. George paid his dues on a sunburst Futurama Resonet. It was a poor copy of a Strat. Paul played a Rosetti Solid 7. If Batman played a guitar, this would be the one. It was a solid body, two pickup model with double cutaways. The “bat-like” cutaways must have been designed with the Dynamic Duo in mind. Sutcliffe used a jumbo Hofner President bass, model 500/5. It was a single cutaway, two pickup, hollow body bass in a shaded brown finish. Best kept the beat on a Premier drum kit with a white pearl finish. Their amps were small nondescript models.

During this trip to Hamburg, John saw “Toots” Thielemans playing a Rickenbacker guitar. He immediately fell in love with the look and sound of this guitar and soon purchased one for himself. His first Rickenbacker was a 1958 Capri, model 325 finished in the Hi Lustre Blonde color. It had three pickups, a 3/4 scale length, a stock Kauffman vibrato, and gold Lucite pickguards. John soon replaced the original vibrato unit with a Bigsby vibrato. By January 1963, John had his Rickenbacker 325 refinished black. It was still the original, but very beat up blonde finish when the Beatles recorded “Love Me Do.” When John got this Rickenbacker, Paul adopted John’s Hofner 126/B.

By mid-1961, Sutcliffe left the Beatles and Paul took over on bass. Paul’s first bass was a Hofner model 500/1. This violin-shaped bass had a hollow body, came in a shaded brown finish, had two pickups, and had a thirty inch scale length. The 500/1 from this period had a neck pickup and the second pickup centered between the bridge and the neck. Paul’s reasons for buying this bass were first, its affordability, and second, its symmetrical shape. At that time, he couldn’t afford a Fender Bass. Since he played left-handed, he liked the symmetrical body shape. Paul has stated in past interviews that his Rickenbacker Bass was his first left-handed bass. In every early picture I have seen of him, he played a left-handed bass. He possibly used Sutcliffe’s right-handed bass until he got his own. All of the six string guitars Paul owned were right-handed models. He just reversed the strings to play left-handed.

Also during 1961, George picked up a Gretsch Duo Jet, model PX6128. His Duo Jet, a late 1957 model, featured a solid body, “cloud” inlays, a Bigsby vibrato, black finish with a silver pickguard, and two DeArmond pickups. The body style was similar to that of a Les Paul. George’s early influences included Chet Atkins and rockabilly music, so his choice of a Gretsch guitar was obvious. He owned several Gretsch models through the years. George also had a newer model Duo Jet. It had the “Neo-Classic” or thumbnail inlays, a red top with black pickguard, a trapeze tailpiece, and Filter’Tron pickups.

By now the Beatles’ amp situation had improved slightly. Paul used a Truvoice amp, John a late 1950′s tweed Fender Deluxe amp, and George a Gibson GA40T. The GA40T was a 16 watt combo amp containing a twelve inch Jensen speaker. By the summer of 1962, the Beatles employed Vox amplification. John and George used AC30s and Paul a T-60 bass amp. One of their first AC30s had a white tolex covering while the other was black. John and George soon had matching black AC30s. The AC30 is a 212, 30 watt tube combo amp about the same size as a Fender Twin Reverb. The T60, a piggyback model, had a 60 watt solid state head. The speaker enclosure contained one twelve and one fifteen inch speaker.

By September 1962, John and George had purchased matching Gibson J-160E acoustic guitars. This was the start of a trend where the Beatles bought matching guitars. The J-160E was a jumbo flat top guitar with sunburst finish, spruce top and mahogany back and sides, bound body and neck, and “crown” inlays. It also sported a P-90 pickup at the end of the fingerboard. These were John’s and George’s main acoustic guitars for many years both in the studio and for live performances. Most of the time, John and George used the J-160Es acoustically in the studio. On “P.S. I Love You” however, they played them electrically. For their live shows, the J-160Es acted mainly as backup guitars, but the Beatle guitarists did use them electrically for numbers like “Till There Was You” and other ballads. This happened mostly in the early years of touring in England where the Beatles played smaller venues.

As the Beatles prepared to record their first single, “Love Me Do,” in September 1962, they made a final personnel change. Pete Best was out, and Ringo Starr was in as drummer. Ringo played a Premier drum kit, and at that time, had his own name on the front of the bass drum. It wasn’t until the “Please Please Me” session in November 1962 that he had a Beatle logo on it. This logo was not the distinctive one we are familiar with, but one done in script with antennae coming out of the top of the “B.” This equipment lineup remained the same through the recording of the “Please Please Me” LP to the recording of “From Me To You” in March 1963.

In April 1963, Ringo got his first Ludwig drum kit. This one had the famous “The Beatles” logo on the front. The finish on this kit was oyster black pearl. The snare was wood and had the same finish. He had several of these kits through the years. Ringo called the first one his “mini kit.” It saw use on tours and early studio days. It consisted of twelve and fourteen inch toms and a twenty inch bass drum. He used it to look bigger on stage! The later kits had thirteen and sixteen inch toms and a twenty two inch bass drum. To this day, his choice of cymbals is Avedis.

George used his new Gretsch Country Gentleman, purchased by June 1963, for the recording of “She Loves You” and the “With The Beatles” LP. The Country Gentleman, model PX6122 was the top model in Chet Atkins line of Gretsch guitars. Its features included a hollow body, gold hardware, the Neo-Classic inlays, double mutes, a Bigsby vibrato, two Filter’Tron pickups, and a mahogany-grained (dark brown stained maple) finish. In most pictures, George’s Country Gentleman looked black, but it was actually the mahogany-grained finish.

By August 1963, Paul started using a new bass amp. It consisted of a 100 watt Vox amp with his T-60 speaker enclosure. This was necessary as the Beatles were playing larger concert halls. He used this setup through the end of 1965.

George came to the States to visit his sister, in September 1963, where he picked up a Jetglo (black) Rickenbacker 425. The 425 was a single pickup, non-vibrato, solid body guitar. It was one of the lower-end guitars made by Rickenbacker, and George didn’t use it that much. The only notable time was during one of the Beatles’ appearances on “Ready, Steady, Go!”. “Ready, Steady, Go!” was the English equivalent of “American Bandstand” where groups lip-synced to their latest hits.

By October 1963, Paul picked up another Hofner bass. This was the new version of the 500/1. It was basically the same bass, but the centrally located pickup was now in the bridge position. Paul was presented another Hofner model 500/1 in the Spring of 1964. This one had gold plated hardware, and was a gift from Selmer, the English distributor of Hofner equipment.

As the halls got larger and the screams got louder, the Beatles needed more power to cut through the noise. A review for one of their tour dates in the November 9, 1963 edition of Disk, an English weekly pop newspaper, reported: “Unfortunately, the non-stop ear-piercing screams drowned the Beatles’ songs. It was impossible to hear the words. In fact the group had difficulty in making their instruments heard let alone their voices.” By the end of November, John and George started playing through Vox AC50 amplifiers. They were specially made for the Beatles by Jennings Musical Instruments. The AC50 is a 50 watt piggyback tube amp with a speaker enclosure housing two twelve inch speakers. John and George used the AC50s through their tour of Australia in June 1964.

January 1964 brought the Beatles to Paris, France for a three week session. On January 15, the first night’s show, George used a Gretsch Tennessean, model PX6119. He used this guitar on and off during 1964, and used it exclusively on the Beatles 1965 world tour. The Tennessean was another guitar in the Chet Atkins line, though not as deluxe as the Country Gentleman. It came in a Dark Cherry Red finish and had the Neo-Classic inlays, nickel plated hardware, a Bigsby vibrato, hollow body, and two Hi-Lo’Tron pickups.

February 1964 found the Fab Four in New York to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. A throat ailment prevented George from participating in most of the sight-seeing/publicity/rehearsal sessions that took place. F.C. Hall, president of Rickenbacker, came to see George and offered him a new guitar. This was the Rickenbacker 360/12 twelve string guitar in the Fireglo (natural to red) finish that George used extensively for the film and LP, “A Hard Day’s Night.” This 360/12, made in December 1963, had two pickups, triangular inlays, and binding on both sides of the body and on the fingerboard. This twelve string was the second one Rickenbacker ever made and the first one strung with the high octave strings on top. George was doing a radio interview when Mr. Hall came to see him. He commented favorably to the interviewer about this new guitar, and apparently, the radio station bought it for him for doing the interview.

George played the twelve string on many tracks of the “A Hard Day’s Night” LP including, the title song, “I Should Have Known Better,” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The Beatles had already recorded “Can’t Buy Me Love” in Paris. They liked the sound of this new guitar so much that George overdubbed the twelve string onto the existing tracks. The twelve string became part of the Beatles sound, and George used it often on the next few LPs.

Rickenbacker gave John a new Jetglo Rickenbacker 325 during the Beatles first U.S. visit. It was basically the same as his original model except it had white pickguards and the Rickenbacker Ac’cent vibrato. Unfortunately, John’s original 325 was soon stolen. John later acquired a Fireglo Rickenbacker export model 1996. The 1996 was the same as a 325, but it had an “F” hole instead of a solid top. Rickenbacker also offered a Fireglo Rickenbacker 4001S bass to Paul, but he wasn’t interested in buying it.

Soon after the Beatles returned to England, Rickenbacker presented John with another guitar. This was a twelve string version of his model 325. The only difference was the flat tailpiece instead of the vibrato. John used the twelve string on the Beatles’ tour of Holland in June. He also had it on stage during the American tour that summer. John used a Vox Python guitar strap on this guitar, and later on his model 325. The 1966 Vox catalog described the strap as “armored with striking metal plates, and embellished with metal studs.” Certainly a heavy metal guitarist’s dream!

Before the 1964 Summer U.S. tour, Paul had his original Hofner bass refinished to a Fender style three color sunburst. The original small pickup rings were also replaced with larger ones. This bass became Paul’s back up. The Beatles also started working on their next LP, “Beatles For Sale” before the tour. George used the Tennessean for many songs on the LP, including “I’m A Loser,” “Words Of Love,” “Honey Don’t,” and “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party.” Photos in the studio showed John and George using the new Vox AC100 amps. The AC100 is a 100 watt piggyback tube amp with a 412 speaker cabinet. From this point, the Beatle guitarists used the AC100s regularly in the studio and for their remaining 1964 and 1965 dates.

By the time of the Beatles Christmas show in December 1964, John, Paul, and George had got sunburst Epiphone Casino guitars. The Casino was basically a Gibson ES-330. It had two P-90 pickups and hollow body construction. The headstock on Paul’s Casino, a righthanded model, had the Gibson shape, while John’s and George’s had the flared Epiphone style. Paul and George had Bigsby vibratos on theirs, while John used a Gibson style trapeze tailpiece on his. Paul played his Casino on “Ticket To Ride” as he did the solo fills in that song.

In April 1965, The Beatles started work on the “Help” LP. With each successive LP, they did more experimentation with different guitars. The April 1965 issue of The Beatles Book reported: “Apart from their usual line-up of drums, bass guitar, and two lead guitars, they also had a grand piano, an electric piano, a full-sized double bass and no fewer than six other guitars.” Two of the “other” guitars were Fender Stratocasters purchased by John and George. They were both Sonic Blue (light blue), pre-CBS tremolo models with rosewood fingerboards. [ 2011 Update: After seeing George’s Strat in his exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, it turns out that his Strat is actually Daphne Blue.] George used his Strat on the solo of “You’re Going To Lose That Girl.” The song “Yesterday” featured Paul playing a new guitar as well. The guitar was an Epiphone Texan, similar to a Gibson J-50. This was Paul’s main acoustic for the next two years. The electric piano mentioned was a Hohner Pianet N. Its debut came on “The Night Before,” “Tell Me What You See,” and “You Like Me Too Much.” One other new instrument the Beatles used at these sessions was a Vox Continental organ, model V301. John played it on “I’m Down.” He used the Continental occasionally on stage for this song.

The October 1965 Beatle Book reported that during their American tour that summer, the head of Rickenbacker, gave each of the Beatles one of their latest models. George received another Fireglo 360/12. This was the new style with the rounded top and “R” tailpiece. He “retired” his first twelve string and used the new one exclusively for tours. Paul received the Fireglo 4001S bass that Rickenbacker offered him the year before. The 4001S of that period had dot inlays, no binding, and two pickups. The bridge pickup had the “horseshoe design.” John, I believe got the Fireglo export model 1996.

In November 1965, all four Beatles received Russian-made nylon string guitars, seen in the studio during the recording of “Day Tripper” and the “Rubber Soul” LP. As they acquired more instruments, they usually had them all in the studio. George debuted his new twelve string on “If I Needed Someone”, while John played his Strat. George played his Strat for the lead work on “Nowhere Man.” Paul used his Rickenbacker bass for many of these sessions. On “Think For Yourself,” he played it through a distortion box, probably a Maestro Fuzz-tone. The Beatle guitarists also used capoed guitars during these sessions to achieve different textures. John capoed the J160E on “Norwegian Wood” George capoed the twelve string on “If I Needed Someone.” Photos reveal Paul even using one on his bass! This isn’t the first time they used capos. “I’ve Just Seen A Face” from the “Help” LP is the first song I am aware of that made use of capoed instruments.

One other way the Beatles experimented with guitar tones was by moving the pickup on the remaining J-160E. (One was reported stolen in December 1964.) They moved the pickup from the original location at the end of the fingerboard to two other spots. The first was next to the bridge, and the second, which they seemed to favor, was at the bridge side of the sound hole.

For the U.K. tour in December 1965, George switched to a sunburst Gibson ES-345. The 345 was an up-graded ES-335 with slash/block inlays, stereo electronics, and the varitone six-way tone control. George used it in the promo film of “Ticket To Ride,” so by this time, he had the guitar for several months. On this tour, the Beatles used a blonde 1964 Fender Bassman amp to power the Continental organ. This was a fifty watt amp with a 2-12 cabinet. The Bassman also saw use on the “Rubber Soul” LP. One tragic note from this time was that George’s Country Gentleman met its demise. Strapped to the trunk of a car, it fell off, and was smashed beyond repair.

The next recording sessions took place in April through mid-June, 1966. This was for the “Revolver” LP and the “Paperback Writer/Rain” single. Once again the collection of instruments grew. George used a Cherry finished, pre-1966 SG Standard. Its features included crown inlays, a mahogany body, nickel hardware, two humbucking pickups, and the Gibson Vibrola. On “Paperback Writer,” George played the SG and John, a Gretsch Nashville. The Nashville, model PX6120, had the amber red (orange) finish, Neo-Classic inlays, hollow body with double cutaways, and two Filter’Tron pickups. Paul used his Rickenbacker bass. The Beatles even tried a version of this song with Paul on his Casino and George on a cherry (red) Burns Nu-Sonic bass. This bass, from 1964-65, had a thirty inch scale length, two pickups, and a rosewood fingerboard. For these sessions the Beatles had a new Vox organ and new Vox amps. The organ, model V303, was the double keyboard Continental. The amps were specially made for them by Jennings. These 150 watt tube amps had huge speaker enclosures housing possibly four twelve inch speakers and a horn. In the past, Vox amps had the control panel on the top back. The controls on these were on the front, just as on the latest Vox solid state production models.

The Beatles 1966 world tour started in Germany that June. John and George used their Casinos, and Paul his Hofner bass. As spares, John had the J-160E, George his SG Standard, and Paul his Rickenbacker bass. All three played through the new Vox amps. On the Far East and North American legs of the tour they used the same instruments but different amps. In Japan, John and George used Vox AC100s and Paul, his 100 watt amp and T-60 speaker enclosure. In North America, the Thomas Organ-made Vox Super Beatle amps powered their instruments. The Super Beatle is similar to an AC100, but solid state. It also featured three channels, a wide range of tone effects, built-in distortion, and reverb.

Touring ended in 1966, and the Beatles got down to serious experimentation in the studio. “Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane” was the first release from this “studio” band. By then, Paul’s choice of bass was the Rickenbacker, and John favored his Casino. George seemed to alternate between his Casino and Strat. Both John and George still used the J-160E for acoustic work.

The Beatles recorded their masterpiece “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in the spring of 1967. The Beatles Book reported during the “Sergeant Pepper” recordings: “The Beatles play far more instruments. The total count at the moment is fourteen guitars, a tambura, one sitar, a two manual [double keyboard] Vox organ and Ringo’s Ludwig kit, plus various pianos and organs supplied by EMI.”

Geoff Emerick, engineer for these sessions, remembered: “If there was going to be a piano used on a track, or a guitar, it was always John or Paul or George saying, `Well we don’t want it to sound like a piano or guitar.’ I had no gimmick boxes to play with, like there are today… so we had to invent our effects.” They produced some amazing sounds. On “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite,” Paul played the last half of the solo on his acoustic guitar. The tone was altered dramatically. Paul also used his Casino for these sessions but his latest guitar was a sunburst, right-handed Fender Esquire with a rosewood fingerboard. The Esquire is basically a Telecaster without the neck pickup. Paul used it for the solo in “Good Morning, Good Morning.” John used his Casino for “When I’m 64″ and the J-160E on “A Day In The Life. George played lead on “Fixing A Hole,” double tracking his Strat. For amps, the Beatles used the new Vox amps but with Vox Super Twin 212 speaker enclosures. They used the Bassman amp for guitar as well. One session showed Paul playing his Casino and Esquire through a Selmer amp.

By 1967, the Beatles were proficient on many instruments. Paul played harpsichord on “Fixing A Hole,” piano on “When I’m 64,” and Hammond organ on “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.” With his Indian influence in full bloom, George played a tambura on “Getting Better.” “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” featured George and Ringo on harmonicas along with their road crew, Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall.

With touring over, Ringo switched from plastic heads to calf skin heads. They gave his drums deeper, fuller tones. The Beatles played mostly outdoor arenas in their later tours, and the calf skin heads would have been virtually impossible to use because of the changing humidity and temperature. With the sanctuary of the studio that was not a problem.

Possibly because of drug experimentation or because it was the “summer of love,” each Beatle “refinished” one of his instruments. The first was John’s Casino. He spray painted the back of it white. Paul accented his Rickenbacker bass with gray and white designs. George refinished his Strat to a rainbow assortment of colors. Ringo joined in with a new bass drum head done in bright orange with yellow letters. Painted in large handwritten letters was the word “LOVE,” and in smaller handwritten letters, “The Beatles.” Paul, George, and Ringo featured these colorful instruments in the film “Magical, Mystery Tour” and in their live broadcast of “All You Need Is Love” for the “Our World” television special. The actual recording of the backing tracks for “All You Need Is Love” showed John, Paul, and George all playing their Casinos.

“Hello Goodbye” was recorded in November 1967 at Chappel Studios in London. Previously, the Beatles did all recording at the EMI studios in Abbey Road. The promo film shows John playing a Martin D-28, Paul, his Rickenbacker bass, and George, his Casino. During the filming, John used a custom-made Vox guitar for one of the takes. Teisco Del Rey would definitely foam at the mouth for this one. It was a unique electric guitar with reverse scroll cutaways. It appeared to be made of rosewood and walnut, had three control knobs, a tone switch, a pickup selector switch, and six veg-o-matic push buttons! The only conventional feature on it was the “F” hole.

In February 1968, the Fab Four went to India to study with the Maharishi. John and Paul took their D-28s with them. (Paul also acquired one.) Many of the songs for the “White Album” were written on this visit. Before leaving for India, the Beatles recorded “Lady Madonna.” The Beatles Book reported: “[The] first new number to be tackled was `Lady Madonna,’ Paul having done most of the words and music for this item. At the first session, George and John put their two guitars through one amplifier while Ringo played drums.” Paul used his Rickenbacker bass for this song, and handled all the piano work.

The Beatles, after returning from India, spent the spring and summer working on their next LP and 45 release. These were “The Beatles” (White Album) LP and “Hey Jude”/”Revolution.” For these sessions , they gave up their Vox amps for Fender gear. John and George used Twin Reverb amps, while Paul used a Bassman 100. John and George also received matching solid rosewood Telecasters. George Fullerton, former Fender executive, told Richard Smith, noted guitar authority, that Fender made two prototype rosewood Telecasters for the Beatles. The Beatles also got a sunburst Jazz bass and a sunburst Bass VI, six string bass from Fender. By then, George was using a Gibson J-200 acoustic while John still preferred the J-160E.

During these sessions in August 1968, George received a special gift from his pal Eric Clapton. It was a Gibson Les Paul which George named “Lucy.” Clapton used this Les Paul on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” as he did all the lead guitar work. George used it on “Cry Baby Cry” and “Sexy Sadie.” On “Back In The USSR,” Paul played guitar and drums, George the Jazz bass, and John the Bass VI. John played bass on “Helter Skelter,” while on “Honey Pie,” George played bass and John his Casino. George also used his SG and Paul his Casino for these sessions. Ringo started using a five piece maple Ludwig drum kit on this LP. He used it exclusively from this time on.

For “Hey Jude,” recorded at both Trident Studios and Abbey Road, Paul played piano, John, the J-160E, and George, one of his electrics. The promo film for “Hey Jude” shows Paul on piano, George on the Bass VI, and John playing his Casino through a silver-faced Fender Deluxe amp. The promo film for “Revolution” shows Paul playing his original refinished Hofner bass, George, his Les Paul, and John, his Casino. By these summer sessions, “psychedelic” was out and “plain” was in for the Beatles. They had some of their instruments stripped to a natural finish. The first was John’s Casino and a J-160E. (This was the replacement for the one stolen.) In March 1969, Paul did the same with his Rickenbacker bass.

October 1968, George came to the States for business and purchased a Moog Synthesizer. The Beatles used the synthesizer on several songs on their last recorded LP “Abbey Road.” George also used it extensively for his solo LP “Electronic Sounds.”

In January 1969, the Beatles started work on what was to be their “Get Back” LP. This was eventually released as “Let It Be” in 1970. Paul used his Hofner bass exclusively for it, but he had the Rickenbacker bass in the studio. He played his D-28 on “Two Of Us.” John used his Casino and D-28 for these sessions. George used his Les Paul, his rosewood Telecaster, and J-200. On “For You Blue,” John played a lap steel. Guitar expert Steve Soest of Soest Guitar Repair explained, “I’ve never seen one like this, but I believe its European-made. It doesn’t look like any American lap steel I have seen.” When Paul played piano, either John or George played one of the Fender basses. The Beatles used their Fender amps for these recordings. The “Let It Be” film documents these sessions, and it is easy to see which instruments the Beatles used.

The Beatles recorded “Abbey Road” in the spring and summer of 1969. They used the same gear for this LP as they did for the “Get Back” sessions, although George preferred his Les Paul for most of this LP. The Moog saw action on “Here Comes The Sun” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” On the song “The End,” each Beatle got a chance to bask in the spotlight. This song features Ringo’s only recorded drum solo while John, Paul, and George trade off on the guitar solo. They rotated with Paul playing first, George second, and John last.

The Beatles as a group soon split up. Ringo commented in a February 1982 interview, “… even though it all wasn’t good, even the bad days were good. No matter what was going down, we all still loved to play.” And with a love like that, you know you should be glad.

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