Posted January 14, 2010 by Gibson in Blog | No comments yet
Gibson Musical Instruments, in cooperation with Yoko Ono, is producing an extremely limited series of J-160E John Lennon Guitars crafted to replicate John Lennon’s very own guitars, including the J-160E on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Gibson J-160E was the only instrument Lennon used faithfully on recordings, in movies and for live performances. Many afficionados equate the guitar with Lennon, the Beatles and the British Invasion.
As Lennon’s life changed, so did his guitars. The limited edition series reproduces three different guitars to document three momentous periods of John’s life and music: the Fab Four Model (Lennon Model 1 on the left in the photograph), the Magical Tour Model (Lennon Model 2 in the center) and the Bed-In Model (Lennon Model 3 on the right).
All of these guitars are painstakingly hand-crafted in Bozeman, Montana under the direction of Ren Ferguson, Master Luthier. The Psychedelic finish (on the Magical Tour model) and the caricatures of John and Yoko (on the Bed-In model) are hand painted and drawn by Ren. Ren got permission from Yoko Ono to carefully handle John’s J-160E at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in order to take notes and draw sketches for use in the process of developing these replicas.
At the winter NAMM show where set #4 was on display, the most frequently asked question about these models was, “Is that the real thing?” The authentic details captured in this limited edition set make looking at these guitars a spine-tingling experience. Only 47 individuals worldwide will ever be able to own one of these limited edition sets.
Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Musical Instruments, said
"We are very proud that Gibson was John Lennon's guitar of choice, and we are grateful that Yoko Ono has worked with us in developing these very special instruments."
The Story of John Lennon's J-160E Acoustic Guitar
From a historic point of view, the Gibson J-160E model acoustic electric guitar holds a great importance as a key instrument used by John Lennon on many of the Beatles recordings, as well as an instrument he chose for many of the Beatles films, television appearances, and live performances. Though Lennon played many different types of guitars throughout his years with the Beatles, it should be pointed out that the only instrument that Lennon faithfully used was his Gibson J-160E. To this day, many musicians and guitar collectors alike equate this guitar with John Lennon, the Beatles, and the British Invasion. Perhaps the most interesting fact about his Gibson J-160E is that as Lennon's life changed and evolved, so did his guitar.
The Fab Four Model
In the summer of 1962 John Lennon and George Harrison both ordered Gibson J-160E acoustic guitars from Rushworths Music in Liverpool. At the time they referred to the Gibson acoustic models as the "jumbos," possibly because of description in the 1962 Gibson Catalog--which they ordered the guitars from--listing the J-160E as an "Electric Jumbo Model."
According to John Lennon's original receipt from Rushworths, he took delivery of his new sunburst colored J-160E on September 10th, 1962. During a special ceremony hosted by Rushworths, John and George were presented with their new Gibson J-160E guitars by Mr. John Rushworth himself. This event was photographed by Peter Kaye. The photo was later published in the Mersey Beat newspaper with the caption "John Lennon and George Harrison of the Beatles, seen at Rushworths when they received their Gibson guitars--the only ones of their type in the country--which were specially flown to England by jet from America."
The very next day, at EMI Abbey Road Studio Two London, Lennon used his Gibson J-160E to record the Beatles' first single "Love Me Do." It was released on October 5th, 1962, in the UK on Parlophone Records. This was the Beatles' first 45, launching the Fab Four onto the British charts, and it was the sound of the Gibson J-160E that helped to get them there.
For the remainder of 1962 and throughout 1963, John Lennon continued to use his Gibson J-160E guitar exclusively for further Beatles recordings, television appearances and live performances. Unfortunately, in the early part of December 1963, Lennon's J-160E was stolen and was never recovered. Without his personal Gibson "jumbo," John would often use George Harrison's J-160E. It was George's J-160E that John used in the film "A Hard Day's Night."
It wasn't until mid-1964 that John Lennon would find a replacement for his original Gibson J-160E. His second was almost identical to the first. One of the only visible differences was that his second J-160E had a double rosette--or double white rings--around the sound hole. His first had only a single rosette. Another difference was that the second J-160E had an orange Gibson label visible through the sound hole on the inside of the guitar, while his first did not.
John Lennon's second Gibson J-160E first appeared in photographs taken of Lennon during the Beatles' first tour of the United States during the summer of 1964, and then later in photographs taken while recording at EMI studios in London. John used the J-160E as his spare stage guitar during the Beatles' 1965 world tour.
The Bed-in Model
Another evolution in John Lennon's life was his exploration of Transcendental Meditation. By March of 1968 John Lennon, along with the other Beatles, traveled to Rishikesh, India to study Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was a time to relax and reflect.
Upon returning from India Lennon and his soul mate, an avant-garde artist named Yoko Ono, shed their clothes for their experimental album Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins. It was later released on Apple Records on November 19, 1968. The album cover featured a nude picture of John and Yoko.
Just as John and Yoko had shed their clothes, stripping naked for an album cover, John's Gibson J-160E was stripped as well. Lennon had the psychedelic paint job on his Gibson J-160E removed. He thought the guitar would sound better without a finish on it. The guitar was sanded down to bare wood. At the same time, a new pickguard was put on the guitar and the P-90 pickup was put back to its original position. This newly recreated version of the Gibson J-160E was first seen during the Beatles recording sessions for The Beatles double album, also referred to as "The White Album," for its simple, white cover. It too was stripped--of color!
Soon after John Lennon's marriage to Yoko Ono on March 20th, 1969, the Lennons spent their honeymoon at the Amsterdam Hilton in The Netherlands, holding their first week-long "Bed-In" demonstration for peace. John's instrument of choice was his natural wood Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar.
On May 26th, 1969, John and Yoko held their second week-long "Bed-In" for peace. It was held at the Hotel Reine-Elizabeth in Montreal, Canada. During this "Bed-In," John and Yoko recorded their peace anthem "Give Peace A Chance," later released on Apple Records as a single by the Plastic Ono Band on July 4th, 1969. For this recording John chose his Gibson J-160E to help convey his message of peace. He etched two sets of caricatures of Yoko and himself on the front of his Gibson J-160E, to mark and commemorate their Amsterdam and Montreal "Bed-Ins."
This, the final reincarnation of John Lennon's Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar, is the way the guitar remains today. It is currently on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, on loan from Yoko Ono Lennon.
