1966:
Guild Starfire XII 12-string:
While this writer and his friends milled around in the crowd outside New
York's Warwick Hotel on 23 August 1966, in the banquet room inside this
one-off guitar was presented to Lennon by Mark Dronge (son of Guild Guitars
founder Alfred Dronge), now head of D&R HandMade Strings. (Read
his account of the presentation here.)
This guitar, styled like a Gibson 335, featured a special "flamed" maple
finish and DeArmond pickups. An unsubstantiated report places
it in the recording of "Getting Better." This guitar somehow wound
up with Tony Cox, Yoko Ono's first husband. Cox sold the guitar
to the Hard Rock Cafe, Honolulu, where it can be seen, along with a letter
of authenticity sent by Guild to Cox in March 1980.
 1967:
1966
Vox Kensington: This odd prototype guitar was a gift from Vox and shows
up in the "Hello, Goodbye" video session shots (although not in the finished
promos), but little else is seen of it save for a photo of Harrison with
it rehearsing "I Am the Walrus" during Magical Mystery Tour.
Contrary to other reports, there was only one of these models created.
Mike (a.k.a. Mick) Bennett from Vox made this mahogany hollow-body guitar
for the Beatles; after first displaying it at a 1966 trade show (below),
Vox took it back to the workshop for the addition of some push buttons
for special effects, then presented it to the band. Not long after,
Lennon gave it to "Magic Alex" Mardas as a birthday present, and it is
from this collection that it was auctioned at Christies (below)in April
2004.
Note: This guitar wasn't originally
designed as part of the Vox Kensington model line but over the years
has come to be referred to as such.
|
1967:
1965
Martin D-28. First spotted in the "Hello Goodbye" video, this
dreadnought acoustic took its place alongside the Gibson J-160E on Beatles
albums beginning with The Beatles. Lennon brought it
to India in February 1968 and composed on it most of his "White Album"
songs. In December 1969 Lennon took this guitar along on a visit
to Toronto, and gave it to rockabilly guru Ronnie Hawkins. However,
a recent inspection revealed that the guitar Hawkins now has is a 1972
D-28. The Hawk says Lennon's gift "was 'exchanged' by someone I thought
was a friend; didn't know 'til lately . . . the way of the world."
Attention scoundrel houseguest: Shame on you. Give it back.
Lennon
also played other guitars the Beatles passed around, including a Hofner
5140 Hawaiian Standard lap steel guitar (left) he used on "For
You Blue" and a
Fender Bass VI,
a 6-string bass (right) he and Harrison
used on The Beatles and Let It Be.
It featured
three pickups and a vibrato, and he used it for some rather low-end chords
on "Dig It." 
He
also briefly owned a Vox "guitar organ" that in time was auctioned off.
And during the '65 tour, Lennon bought a Spanish guitar in, of all
places, Spain, which may have been used on Rubber Soul.
Also, as did Harrison, Lennon received a Danelectro Coral electric
sitar in 1967; it's never heard on any recording.