Beatles Guitars & Gear

George Harrison bought his first Gretsch in the early 60's in Liverpool.  His black Duo Jet reportedly was his  favorite Gretsch guitar.  George Harrison's black Duo Jet has a Bigsby vibrato arm, and is prominently featured on the cover of George's mid 80s classic solo album, "Cloud Nine."  George used this guitar for years in the recording studio.

Gretsch has made a great reissue of the Original Guitar and we always try keep one in stock at Ed Roman Guitars

1961: 1957 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet semi-solid mahogany body, black finish, silver pickguard; Serial #21179:  Harrison found this one through a member of a band called the Delacardoes, who got a tip from a taxi driver. The driver, Ivan Hayward, was a former merchant seaman who was planning on emigrating and had decided to sell the Gretsch Duo Jet he'd bought at Sam Goody's in New York City in 1957.  "God knows how I managed to get 75 quid together," Harrison recalls in the Anthology book.  "It seemed like a fortune.  I remember having it in my inside pocket, thinking 'I hope nobody mugs me.' "  (As it turned out, he only had £70 at the time and had to leave an IOU for the balance -- (Which he never got around to paying.)   The Duo Jet sported "humped block" inlays, a Bigsby vibrato and two single-coil DeArmond pickups.   Harrison used this sturdy, stylish beauty for the early singles, the Please Please Me sessions and innumerable shows in Hamburg, at the Cavern, the Casbah and throughout Britain until late spring '63.  Then, after getting a swankier Gretsch, Harrison gave this instrument to Hamburg mate Klaus Voormann, who changed one pickup and hung on to it for about 20 years before giving it back to Harrison.  Sometime in late '85 or '86 this guitar was sent to guitar tech Alan Rogan, who gave it to luthier Roger Giffin for the rehab work.  "I had to rewire it," Giffin recalls, "because true to form with old Gretsch guitars, the original wiring was disintegrating."  Rogan "was working with George on and off at the time. He also brought in a '50s Strat and George's original Rickenbacker 12 string. I refinished the Strat matte black (I've seen George playing that in a video) but I'm not sure what I did to the Rickenbacker." 

Regarding the Duo Jet, Melvyn Hiscock recalls that Giffin also "had a spare DeArmond pickup which he fitted and generally gave the guitar the once-over. I was Roger's shop manager and was there when all this happened.  I even got to play 'Twist and Shout' and a few other Beatle tunes on it."  Harrison put the restored Duo Jet to use on Cloud Nine (1987), whose cover it graces.  Pictured above is Gretsch's authentic G6128-57 reissue.

When the Beatles started to get famous in the early 60s, George bought a 1962 Chet Atkins "Country Gentleman" Gretsch guitar. George can be seen using this one more often than anything else on stage. I am given to understand he didn't use it as much in the studio recordings. There were many attempts at reissuing the Country Gentleman as George played it and finally Gretsch has got it totally right.

The Gretsch logo on the plexi pickguard is the only marking, two Filter-trons, Grover Imperials and even the dual mutes have been brought back.

Through a special arrangement with Gretsch, Ed Roman now offers exclusively A Jet black version to commemorate the black & white TV . Affectionately dubbed the" Ed Sullivan tribute model" which was issued in 2004 30 years after the cancellation of the show and 40 years to the month when the Beatles appeared on it in February of 1964.

 I can remember being glued to the TV set every Sunday night to see those first 3 shows. I was 14 and I wanted to be a Beatle... In fact George was always my favorite Beatle.  Our birthdays are even the same.

1963: 1962 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman (walnut finish) gold hardware, Neo-Classic inlays, dial-up mutes, Gretsch Bigsby vibrato, two Filter'Tron pickups: 

 In May Harrison upgraded to this more deluxe Gretsch he found at Sound City London, and after removing the mutes -- and later the bass-side screw-up knob -- used it extensively for touring and recording (first on "She Loves You" and then With The Beatles).  

It's also seen in the famous Royal Command performance.  When this guitar went into the shop for repair, Sound City gave him another one, but while in the shop this first Gent was stolen.  It was later recovered, and Harrison, preferring his second Gent, relegated this one to backup duty.  (Both Gents are photographed together at a 1963 gig.  

Above is Gretsch's exact reproduction of the Original George Harrison Country Gentleman. Ed Roman Guitar King offers both versions of this guitar in the deep original brown color. Ed Roman also offers both versions in the Jet black color.

Eventually we will run out of the model without the mute because Gretsch will no longer be offering it. We have been told they are discontinuing it. Currently Gretsch has knocked over $500.00 off the price of the soon to be discontinued models.

At this writing we still have plenty of inventory. So if you can live without the mutes you can save up to $700.00 simply for choosing the one without the mutes.

This Gent met its fate on a roadway.  On 2 December 65 the Beatles' limo, bound for Glasgow for the first stop of the band's last British tour, hit a bump at Berwick on Tweed.  This first Gent had been lashed to the boot (trunk) and came untied, and it wound up on the road. When Ringo Starr noticed a trucker flashing his lights, he notified the driver, Alf Bicknell, who pulled over.  "You've just lost a banjo back down the road," the trucker told Alf.  Alf broke the news to Lennon, who told him that if he found the banjo, the driver would get a bonus -- he could keep his job.  Alf doubled back and found it -- in pieces -- but kept his job anyway.  As the band was in a hurry, they left the pieces in the road and kept going.

George's Country Gentleman got damaged beyond repair in this mishap,

There are other rumors that the guitar was stolen. I have it on good authority that 3 of the Beatles

 guitars were stolen from a rehearsal studio. 

One was George's 65 Rickenbacker and one was one of Paul's Hofner's, The third one has not been revealed to me. 

George replaced his Broken/Stolen guitar with another Gretsch Chet Atkins model, the Tennessean.

The Tennessean is a little smaller than the Gent, and also utilized the Electrotone body with the painted F holes.

George can be seen playing this guitar in their second US tour, including the massive first Shea stadium concert in 1965.   Sometimes the Tennessean with Hi Lo Trons is referred to as "The Ticket To Ride Guitar"

Gretsch 1962 "Ticket to Ride" Reissue 6119HT

ohn Lennon also played a Gretsch guitar, Lennon used a 6120 Gretsch Nashville model.  Mostly it was used on the Revolver album. There are scarce few pictures of him with it. Gretsch reissued the mid sixties 6120 Nashville double cut, just like John's, and it is available at Ed Roman Guitars

Available & In Stock @ Ed Roman's Guitar Shop