In some of our posts, we mentioned some guitarists and the guitar they worked with. We have looked at the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Chuck Berry. What guitar did John Lennon play is what we will be focusing on today, so this is the right page for you to be on if you have been looking for an answer to this question.
John Lennon is one of the most extraordinary and talented musician of his time, and this helped him stand out. He was a member of the Beatles band, and the band wouldn’t have enjoyed the fame they did if John Lennon wasn’t part of the band. You might wonder how that is possible, but this is because John had a frenetic and unique playing style.
All of his songs ended up being exceptional and beautiful, and what earned him more praises was the fact that he was very versatile. John Lennon was the lead guitarist in one of the Beatles popular songs titled Revolution, while the solo guitar that was played on the Get Back track was also played by John Lennon.
You can see that this guitarist was always at the forefront of the Beatles popular hit track, and all of these songs ended up being outstanding thanks to his unique style of play. Other members of the Beatles includes George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and it was in 1963 that the Beatles found their way to the limelight.
Everyone enjoyed listening to songs by The Beatles, and you will find it surprising that there are so many people that still enjoy their songs today. You might be wondering why everyone loved listening to the Beatles, but there are two simple reasons why people could not get over with listening to songs by The Beatles.
The fact that they were the first ever music group to write their own song is something epic to talk about, and they were also very good at playing particular instruments. There were variety of instruments used by The Beatles during their reign, but this didn’t stop them from being familiar with the standard guitar, bass, and drum instruments.
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What Guitar Did John Lennon Play
Now that you have an idea of what instruments were used by The Beatles, you might be considered at what instrument did each member of the group play, considering the fact that they were just three in number. The drumming was handled by Ringo, while John and Paul played the standard and bass guitars.
There were some songs that showed where Paul played the drum at some point, and John Lennon was also very good at playing the keyboard. Ringo also played the piano at some point, and this is why people consider these group members as being very versatile and exceptional.
Their ability to blend and their versatility with instruments is what majorly earned them the love and respect they enjoyed from fans all over the world. Here is a list of the instruments that John Lennon played;
- Electric piano
- Electric rhythm and acoustic guitar
- Clavioline
- Harmonica
- Bass guitar
We have told you a brief history of the Beatles group, but do not forget that this post is here to provide you with an answer on what guitar John Lennon played. The truth about John Lennon is he possessed small sized hands, and this made him enjoy playing small sized guitars. Here is a list of all the guitars John Lennon played during his time;
- Rickenbacker 325
- Rickenbacker 325 Capri
- Guild Starfire Xii
- Gretsch 6120
- Fender Stratocaster
- Epiphone E230TD Casino
- Vox Kesinton
There were acoustic guitars John Lennon played, and let us take a look at them below;
- Gibson J-160E
- Martin D-28
- Framus 12-String Acoustic Guitar
- Ramirez A-1 Classical Guitar
John Lennon used mostly small model guitars because he had small hands, but there was one mystery surrounding a guitar used by John Lennon. He purchased the Gibsone J-160E in Liverpool, but this guitar went missing after a concert in London. This happened in 1962, but this guitar resurfaced again back in 1969 at a local store.
There were questions like “Was John Lennon good at playing the guitar”, and this is because it is okay for people to have doubts about great people. The answer is a short and simple one, John Lennon was a skilled guitarist, and you cannot make a list of the best guitarist ever without adding John Lennon to it.
There are possible reasons why anyone would want to doubt or question John Lennon’s ability to play the guitar, and this is because so many people loved him more for his singing and songwriting skills. This made his guitar playing skills get underrated as so many people enjoyed more of him singing and writing songs.
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John Lennon’s songs were good to the extent of people being curious about strings he plays with. In the 1960’s the tapewound string was available, and this is one of the strings John Lennon used. This string type was designed in Germany, while rock n roll by Fender later came into the market in the late 60’s.
Rumors had it that John Lennon made use of both guitar strings, and the fact that John Lennon made use of effect pedals is what so many people find surprising. He didn’t make use of effect pedals the way other contemporary artists did during his time, and here are some of the pedals he worked with during his career;
- Electro Harmonix EH-3003
- WEM Pep Rush
- Maestro Fuzz Tone
- Vox Tonebender Effect Pedals
- Dunlop Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Race
Conclusion
One question that people also struggle with finding an answer for is if there could be someone else that can match John Lennon’s singing, songwriting, influence in music, and his guitar playing skill. He played like he was constantly attacking the string, and this style of play ended up yielding so many great hits and sounds.
At the age of twelve, John Lennon was already playing the guitar. Banjo was the first instrument he learnt with, and we can say that every information we have provided about John Lennon helped in answering all of your questions. We will be expecting all of your comments and opinions in the comment section.
