GEORGE HARRISON    part 1

GIBSON S 6 STANDARD

This guitar of the famous Gibson brand has a solid, rougher sound. Harrison bought it late 1965 and played it on

'Paper Back Writer' and 'Rain'. The guitar was cherry-red.

FENDER STRATOCASTER

Notorious electric guitar, loved by a broad public. George opted tor this guitar the first time on 'You're Gonna To 

Lose That Girl'. Later he used it when working on 'Nowhere Man' and 'Fixing A Hole'.

George had hesitated a bit before buying Fender guitars, given the tact that the popular Shadows were famous 

for their Fender sound. In 1967 George painted over his Stratocaster with a psychedelic design, showcased in the 

'Magical Mystery Tour' film.

EPIPHONE CASINO

This electric guitar, introduced by Paul, was used by George especially during the 1966 concerts. George owned 

several of this type between 1966 and 1969.

VOX CUSTOM GUITAR

Special Beatles edition, made for George by the supplier of VOX guitar-amplifiers.

George played it for the film Magical Mystery Tour. ('I Am The Walrus' Aerodrome).

FENDER TELECASTER

This guitar was especially made and adapted for George. The colour is pink and known from the Get Bak sessions.

George played the 'Let It Be'-solo on this instrument.

GIBSON J 160 E

An acoustic guitar in the series. George bought is, together with John in the sumrner of 1962. From 'Love Me Do' 

until 1968, the Gibson J 160 E remained George's and also John's standard acoustic guitar.

GIBSON J 200

George used this acoustic guitar from 1968, during the WHITE ALBUM recordings. He used it also on 

ABBEY ROAD and on his triple solo-album ALL THINGS MUST PASS.

GIBSON LES PAUL

This cherry-red electric guitar, brand Gibson, is truly remarkable. Lucy, as the guitar is called, was given to George 

by nobody less than Eric Clapton. Eric decided to donate the guitar to George after 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' 

was recorded on September the 6th, 1968.

Clapton played the solo in that song. George brought Clapton, who was known as the world 's best lead guitarst, to 

the studio, thinking it would bring the four Beatles closer together in the difficult period of 1968.

George himself made use of the Gibson Les Paul  on several of the double white album's songs.

Likewise he chose Lucy for most of his solo-work and on the ABBEY ROAD album, including the solo on 'The End',

which he shared with John and Paul. Later on the guitar was stolen and presumably transported to Mexico.

EAGER TO LEARN

George Harrison is known to be a musician eager to team. In 1965, midway through the hysteric Beatlesmania period,

het started gettin interested in eastern music and wars of life. He bought an eastern instrument in London. The sitar, a

North-Indian instrument, fascinated him. He wanted to learn how to play it. The song that gave us a first taste of George 

on his Indian instrument was 'Norwegian Wood' on RUBBER SOUL. It was the sitar that made the song so easely recognisable.

On ANTHOLOGY 2, the number is presented in a special performance where we can hear George's sitar more clearly

still. In September/October 1966 he even travelled to India, to take lessons from sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar and his

protégé Shambu Das.

The Indians appreciated George for his talent and as a human being.

What some people experienced as boring music, was felt by George as some kind of 'release' and it gave rum peace of 

mind. He thought it was beautiful and relaxing and he did not hide his feelings. In spite of criticism form the western world,

George wanted to bring westerners face to face with eastern music and science.

Throughout his whole career, George has let it be heard he appreciated eastern culture and music, from 'Norwegian

Wood' to 'The Devil's Been Buzy'

(TRAVELUNG WILBURY'S, VOL. 3).

Harrison about the sitar:

"I saw Ravi Shankar play at the Festival Halt. Unbelievable! So wonderful. Just imagine, everything you always

admired in music, you hear all at once.

I was totally overwhelmed. f bought a sitar light away. Then I tried to sit just like Ravi Shankar: Cross-legged on a

rug. I could not even hold out for ten minutes. Your legs start sleeping, and if you try to get up, Jou just falt over: The

instrument itself is hard to play, but the way you have to sit in such a position, that's even harder: If Jou love music,

you love the people who make it. Music touches you, it rouses Jour feelings.

That hetps Jou to love. "

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