The Guitars of John Lennon in the Beatles: A Short History

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The third Beatles "Guitars of" and maybe the most interesting. Along with McCartney, Lennon was one of the main song writers in the band and these are the tools that he used to write those classics.
I hope you love it.
Keith

[@AcumbaWumba]

Can’t wait for ‘The Guitars of Ringo Starr’

[@gedztrez8814]

“This one was given to Ringo by John Lennon in 1975, refer to my history of John Lennon guitars to hear about this one”

[@tylermarcum1307]

Much shorter video

[@wadesummers4102]

Darn! You beat to me to the punch! Was gonna make this same joke.

[@beatlesrcool13]

We commented the exact same thing exactly 19h ago

[@Kuztomshop]

I'm sure someone made the same joke about Dave Grohl. Now I can't afford a Trini Lopez.

[@meanermann5028]

The lap steel is on the “For you Blue” video; John played slide

[@roughcutguitars]

Right you are! Was going to jump in and say the same. It's further evidenced by George calling out, "Go, Johnny. GO! Elmore James has got nothing on this boy." in the middle of John's solo.

[@meanermann5028]

@@roughcutguitars Yep, that Elmore james shout out to John is the coolest thing ever!!

[@rperuwarstv4126]

Another legendary addition to the Five Watt World channel. Continues to provide top quality videos. Lets goooo!!!!

[@LDACG]

I still recall the Ed Sullivan Show appearance. I was born in '56 and music was finding its way into my soul. They were the guides. My grandmother had given me stacks of Beatles cards. They had the puzzle pieces of portraits on the backside. Now that I have seen this video, I am wondering if my flagging romance with the group was the dreadful audio of the live concerts. At the same time, I discovered The Rolling Stones and the dirt on Richards' guitar riffs. It is only in the last few years, during lessons and band practice, that I have rediscovered the Beatles through Come Together and Luck in the Sky. "Trying" to play their songs is a revelation of sorts. I have added dirt to my guitar work on the cuts we do. LOL. I don't remember feeling badly for their breakup, I was listening to other bands. John's passing was tragic,a dn George was surprise. Ringo remains my favorite. Thanks for this video.

[@monstrok]

So much great research, especially with the photo history. Well done Keith!

[@ARWest-bp4yb]

Considering how big they were they were quite humble as far as their gear went! An interesting fact about V81: It was there very first 325, the prototype hand-built by Roger Rossmeisl himself. (from the book Rickenbacker Guitars Out of the Frying Pan into the Fireglo, p94) It seems fitting that it was the one that John ended up with! 👍👍

[@benallmark9671]

Great video Keith. Thank you Sir and enjoy the rest of your vacation.

[@jeremyvanengen3341]

My cousin told me the story of John's J45 acoustic. He knew the guy who casually owned it for 45 years without knowing it was John's. It's a fascinating story. Great video, as always.

[@richardburrows8998]

Fantastic episode..as usual. One of the many many things I love about The Beatles and their legend is the fact that so much enduring music was recorded with such shonky instruments.

[@MrJoelalcasey1971]

John bought his Rickenbacker 325 for £100, and got it painted down the road from me Cleveland Street Birkenhead which is a town across the Mersey River from Liverpool. I had a Rickenbacker 325 and sold it 20 years ago and I'm regretting it, but still have the Gibson j160 John Lennon 70th anniversary and epiphone casino. Great little documentary on Lennon's guitars 👍

[@matthewcollis-long5233]

Wonderful video Keith - looking forward to part 2❤

[@davidchase-lopes8413]

Another Sunday moment of enjoyment thanks to you Keith!!!

[@lewolf2884]

Great Video, Keith! Thanks! 🐺

[@paulsimmons5726]

My 17yo daughter has been a Beatles fanatic since she was 5 or 6 and I was lucky enough to find a 325V64 a few years ago for her; she loves that guitar! She likes the shorter 20” scale and I’m glad; I can’t play it to save my life, lol! I’m thinking John loved swapping to his Casino because I never saw any later pictures of his 325 in the background. Great video, Keith, as always!

[@brianlegg6009]

This is my favorite KZbin channel. Great video, Keith!

[@roughcutguitars]

I guess as a short history it made sense to focus on John's Beatle years, but his career spanned a decade plus and several albums after the break-up both with the Plastic Ono Band and solo. It would have been interesting to see the guitars he used in that time as well such as his beloved Les Paul Jr with the added Charlie Christian (of whom he was a great admirer) pickup in the neck position.

[@Last_one_before_I_go]

Thanks for creating this, I always enjoy your content.

[@bldallas]

Great job on another killer story, Keith! To say thanks and more so, to show off my love of your channel, I just ordered a black long sleeve 5 Watt tshirt and a decal for one of my guitar cases. Keep going what you’re doing!

[@TucoDog-ho6fw]

Content like this makes me wonder what the boys would have been using in the way of gear that’s available currently. Thanks for all the videos Keith. I appreciate each and every one.

[@dr_tomK]

Some friends and I played with this idea for a year or so, doing Beatles songs with great we thought they might use today. We were probably way off the mark, but had some fun gigs doing it.

[@monday6524]

Loved it as usual. Always learn something new and find them very interesting.

[@elducko1951]

Yet ANOTHER well done history lesson! Great Job!!

[@victorrowntree8041]

A well presented and very interesting video. Thank you for all your work and historic research. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this.

[@mariodriessen9740]

Wow…., what a wonderful story! You got me emotional for a moment there, Keith. ❤️

[@buzzawuzza3743]

There's no one to touch you with these videos. Thorough and to the point. Well done as always. Would love to see you do a history on the wah-wah pedal even though other people have done so.

[@fredstevens799]

terrific vid Keith! thanks again! anything Beatles is sure to get me excited and you do such a great job!!! thanks also for your mention of The Fool! hope you got my reply about that. keep up the great work!!!

[@scotthendricks7813]

Another great one Keith!!

[@teddownum7428]

Superb! Always good to learn new Beatles lore. Thank you, Keith!

[@bazilbrushrocks]

Keith, I really enjoy your content and wear my 5 Watt cap with pride.

[@stickman55100]

Another great installment of FWW! It’s amazing how much I learn from watching your posts!!! Thank you so much!🙏👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😎🎸

[@michaelgregory2231]

Another excellent installment, Keith. Brilliantly done. And yes, Jonathan Cordy is fab as well. 🙂

[@fatabeeno]

Thanks Keith, I enjoyed this very much. Excellent work !!!

[@firebald2915]

Now I can use this video to listen to the tonal differences between guitars used on each song thru the years. Valuable history lesson, Keith ! Thanks, once again !

[@squire7618]

Great video mate,I really enjoyed that.

[@DesertRat332]

Keith, you always make the best videos. I thought I would only check out 5-10 minutes and before I knew it I had watched the whole thing.

[@texpig13]

Once again, WELL DONE!

[@marcosdorado9695]

Thank you for this video. The Beatles’s music is quite special to me and so it was wonderful to learn about some of the instruments that made the mosaic I love. Thank you.

[@mikeedwards2621]

Very well done and extremely informative!

[@richardhill6640]

Great job, as always

[@chrisjoosten9819]

Thank you, Keith. I always enjoy ❤ your work.

[@kyotosal]

Great video. Thank you Keith!!! Sal : ).

[@bradconklin2878]

Keith, thank you for a wonderful show.

[@meteor1237]

The Beatles will never be “history”. Relevant forever. Amazing! Thx!

[@squire7618]

@five watt world Did you know that the Framus Hootenanny has been found in an attic after 50 years and is up for auction next month at The Hard Rock Cafe in New York?. Estimates are £600,000 plus.

[@leddygee1896]

My older brother was 16 When Abbey Road came Out. I was also 10 years old, and vividly remember Him playing that record Over and over again. But The big older brother at The time, (he was 22) got Out of the Army and came Home with 2 albums that Changed my listening Perspective. Led Zeppelin I and II and the rest of the Zep catalogue up to a point,shaped my musical Landscape till 1976, and That’s when I experienced RUSH 2112. I really like the Beatles, but it never Connected with me the Way it did with my brother, so I guess maybe It’s the ongoing fight of The next greatest thing Within a generation…☺️ Fantastic presentation Mr. Williams.🇺🇸

[@dr_tomK]

Thank you for this Keith. 🎸

[@embreesmith7613]

Thanks Keith. 🙂. John and Yoko were my neighbors in Meridale New York in the 1970s

[@RickRomanelli]

Great video, Mr Williams.

[@FreeSociety1]

John Lennon played the Lap Steel guitar, and did the lead solos, on the recording of the song: "For You Blue" (while George played acoustic rhythm). There is video footage of John playing the Lap Steel in the "Get Back" documentary as they are rehersing this song, and some additional KZbin clips can be found. On the recording, as John is doing the Lap Steel lead guitar solo break...you can hear George saying in the background: " Go....Johnny....go" and ... "Elmore James' got nothing on this..." In other words, George liked John's solo guitar work here.

[@sharkman4928]

Great video Keith!!!

[@sabpac459]

amazing video !

[@MattXScott]

Nice one Keith!

[@JReyes624]

Thank you for this! I love these "The Guitars of..." videos.

[@joereedmusic9853]

Well done, thank you.

[@minolsugathadasa.]

such an amazing and informative video great job sir 🫡😎🤠

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Thank you for the insights.

[@DwainDwight]

great as always. thank you.

[@macsarcule]

Mr. Keith. I’m old enough to have seen sooooo many Beatles documentaries and shows. I’m 52 and have no living memory of the Beatles as a band together, but certainly went through a Beatles phase (obsession) from my late teens to early 20s, cutting my guitar teeth on the Beatles like so many of us. That was about the time of a Beatles anniversary and all the media I consumed back then can make recent Beatles content get pretty tired and repetitive. I was expecting this to be informative and fun, like your short histories always are, but kind of “girding my loins” for one more slog through the Beatles. No slog at all. I felt like I was hearing the Beatles story for the first time. I also finished this really caring about the Beatles again for the first time in decades. You hit the perfect notes in your story of their history to reconnect me to how much I loved and still love that music. Probably because you’re a musician and your focus was on the music rather than a cultural moment or celebrity. Great thanks to you and all the folks on your team. Sure, you “just make the videos,” as you say. But Keith, you hear what we hear, and you speak to things sometimes we can only feel and can’t really put into words. You pair meaning with feeling, and isn’t that why any of us really enjoys hearing, making, and playing music? Much peace to you, sir. ✌️😌🎸

[@hippojuice23]

Have you heard the podcast Something About the Beatles? In every listen there is some kind of revelation- some piece of information or way of looking at things that you previously didn't think of.. Good stuff!

[@themisfits-crazyoldtymemus1923]

Very enjoyable! The Beatles are endlessly fascinating.

[@jeffsaginaw1769]

Thanks Keith!

[@gregrandallbtsr03]

Thanks Keith. Always love a good Beatles story. Peace

[@isaacshepard7809]

These videos are so good brother ❤️❤️❤️

[@frankierodriguez8661]

Thanks again Keith for another excellent straight to the bone story about guitar which I'm fairly sure made another guys like me go kinda emotional. This is a very serious matter for many people and the good news is that you know it very well. Thanks and much love , as always, from West Spain ❤

[@petrosbadalyan326]

Wow!pretty amazing work from your❤

[@victorbeebe8372]

Mahalo Keith! I remembered watching all those Beatles TV shows as a kid. I used to listen to my brother's Abbey Road, Revolver and Rubber Soul albums at night with headphones. He kept coming back into our bedroom, cause I was trying to sing over the headphones. Aloha!

[@legomrrevies]

THIS VIDEO WAS AMAZING! Please do a follow up on John's guitars during his solo career. Love from Shanghai!

[@adamcoe]

Great stuff as always. I just bought a Bass VI (Lake Placid Blue ftw!) and it's unlike anything else I've owned. To quote a phrase, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

[@alexanderullian7650]

This is wonderful! I’d love a “guitars of Paul Simon” episode!

[@beno3481]

Need a short history on Roland/Boss effects

[@willtopper]

I have a Framus 1968 Texan 12 string... Framus has a very unique sound. I have had mine since my parents got it for me for Christmas 1969. It is a beautifully playable instrument.

[@HarvestStore]

Great video.

[@peterobrien1499]

I read somewhere that George was given his Telecaster as a present from Delaine and Bonnie after working with them circa 1968.

[@avantegarde365]

I really appreciate these videos Keith particularly the strat history (I have a strat and use wound G string); new years show with Rick Beato was great too, how do you do it?

[@Stratocus]

Another great one, thanks Keith. Only...what about John's Gibson Les Paul Jr that he used during his solo years?

[@fivewattworld]

After the Beatles his guitars aren’t as well documented.

[@stevecox4534]

Thank you.

[@irgnj180]

As always a great video Keith! Never knew that Toots Tielemans (a national musical hero in my country), was the inspiration for Lennon wanting a Rick.

[@BarronVonSchnoot]

Any chance y’all might make a documentary about G&L?

[@dominiquecoladon8343]

Very interesting video😁

[@Peasmouldia]

First chance I've had to watch this one. Usual spot on KW stylee. I'm 70, thought I knew a little about those lovable moptops, but knew nothing of the Larry Parnes connection. I wonder what our Larry wanted John, Paul and George to change their names too? Thanks and blessings KW.

[@JeffMcErlain]

always excellent!!

[@fivewattworld]

Thanks Jeff

[@davidmacleod9313]

18:51 Lol Love his cigarette holder. 😊

[@joeceonnia1954]

Thanks Keith, I really enjoyed this video about the instruments/guitars of the Beatles also my favorite band growing up, I’m 66 years young and a wannabe guitarist, but I’ll stick to the sticks. Again, thank you & the team at 5 watt!

[@Tom-mo2dr]

Great rock doc ! There always seems to be something about the Beatles lying around . I found a Beatles book at a thrift store it sitting against a wall . I have been listening to the group a cappella , amazing , try it . Thanks . 🇬🇧

[@casario2808]

Thanks, very interesting Surely that's the lap steel being played by John on "For You Blue"?

[@davidmacleod9313]

28:21 I remember walking down Rosemount Avenue (Toronto) in 69 or 70 (?) looking up and seeing a skywriter spelling out “Welcome John and Yoko”

[@willieboy8798]

good presentation and accuracy .......

[@willieboy8798]

one summer about five years after my time in vietnam i saw randy rhoades at the troubadour. the battle of guitar hadnt started yet van halen, lynch and rhoades! i asked him why we needed so many guitars, his answer "when you find out keep it to your self". i never liked him after that. i have one mandolin one euki one trumpet one clairnet i have one of about everything except guitar i have might be 100. all kinds of changes and arrangements on them i like them all. my guitar was like me, i found it in the barracks in saigon and it kept me allive during my tour in hell! it still had a bullet in it. i showed it to ed at a hollywood party. it was a tedesco del ray! lol i still have it!

[@doublelifeatributetothecar2185]

A couple of side notes: John had a fretless guitar at the studio during the White Album sessions. It may have been used on Happiness is a Warm Gun and Helter Skelter. He also had a very strange electric with a sort of tulip shaped body. John's other guitar of note was a Les Paul Junior with a Charlie Christian pickup in the neck position. He used that one during solo concerts. As for the J160e inspiration, there are photos of Tony Sheridan for the Hamburg time frame playing an acoustic Gibson (possibly a Dove or something similar) that had a pickup and control knobs. I suspect this was the guitar John & George wanted to emulate so they could get an "acoustic-like" sound on stage.That makes more sense to me than them thinking they were getting ES-175s, which are decidedly different looking and sounding.

[@lucyfuir6386]

Nice! thanks

[@TheHylianBatman]

A lovely video. I wonder what happened to John's Rickenbacker 12-string?

[@carlmontney7916]

Keith this was an awesome video about an awesome person and musician who was taken from the world far too soon. John Lennon thought it was no big deal, just a band breaking up. But to the people like me who were teenagers that grew to be young adults during the time of the Beatles, It truly was like losing a piece of oneself.

[@j.f.brunet6218]

John Lennon plays slide guitar on “For you Blue”.

[@monahantp3767]

After enjoying the McCartney video, this Beatle-adverse viewer thought, "hey-- I liked the Mc video, I'll probably like this one..." Sorry Kieth-- not enough to get me over the hump on this one LOL! Made it a little beyond the True Fire spot, then just had to stop. Great video work as always, just not a topic conducive to keeping my lunch down. Looking forward to the next non-Beatle video though! :D

[@artrogers3985]

Whenever I see Beatles pix that I have never seen, I’m ……. I don’t know 🎸 Great video Keith

[@frankbarnwell____]

A million thanks! I feel fine. Guitars vs hate.

[@RaccoonHenry]

if the Beatles breaking up was "nothing important", sitting here talking about it, 50 years later, it sure doesn't seem like "nothing important". those guys changed the world more than they could have possibly foreseen...

[@woodyh4650]

It’s amazing what the accomplished in such a relatively short amount of time.

[@markdoyle9642]

Thank you Keith, Respect! Paul's Martin D-28 is strung for playing left handed. but looking closely, the Saddle and Bridge Compensation retain the factory configuration, for a right handed player. The high and low E intonation must be off, or perhaps this simply adds tone. We have a '65 D-35 on the bench, I think I'll ask my Students to String a South Paw, Setup (Smile) measure intonation. and play along with the records! As Always, you provide Great Teaching I can use with my students, Thank You!~ (huge Smile)

[@fredkruse9444]

Maybe Lennon used the lap steel guitar for the slide solo on "For You Blue?" He definitely had a guitar across his lap when he played it in the "Let it Be movie."

[@Vinyl_guy]

I bought my acoustic guitar in the sunburst finish because of john lennon, its been my best instrument since

[@son0fsocal]

👏🏼 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Master Piece Keith! had their manager not died ,. we all know the Beatles would have gone on even longer, he was the ole glue that held them together.

[@bobsteel6916]

Kieth your such an awesome narrator, i can't say the enough. NEWSALERT: Dickie Betts died today, maybe a future video. I'll truly miss him.