John's Guitars
part I - Acoustic Guitars
Comparatively speaking, George played more different kinds of guitars than John, after all, George is the self confessed Guitar Fanatic
. However, John's choices often were similar or even identical to the guitar George was playing at the time. This listing is to focus on John's acoustic guitars first and later the electric ones. The discussion is to be found in 4 parts to include John's other instruments as well.
were greatly influenced by
and John was no exception
the J-160E,
was a huge favorite of Johns, primarily it is an acoustic, but it is technically an electric as seen here with a Vox AC30 amp. There is a P-90 pick-up just after the last fret of the fingerboard, right before the sound hole. Volume and tone control knobs are on the face of the guitar. The output jack is on the underside of the rear lower corner, not incorporated into the end pin like so many modern acoustic-electrics.
seen here during a Rubber Soul session
in it's original tobacco sunburst finish. At some point John's original guitar was stolen. He replaced it somewhere around the Help! sessions.
This guitar was to undergo two
(as indicated by John in above photo)
additional incarnations. There was the psychedelic paint job done by "The Fool" a group of Dutch artists that 
commissioned to paint the Apple building,
in London, as well as an occasional guitar or two.
This one had the pick-up on the bridge side of the sound hole.
Lastly, the "Bed In" version seen below, a natural finish top with self drawn caricatures of Yoko and himself.....
is offering reproductions of each version.
Framus "Hootenanny 12"
seems like an unlikely choice for a 12 string guitar, not a very well known brand, here in the States, but a fine guitar none-the-less. A German made guitar, being made available again, here in the U.S. seen below in the musical sequence of
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
from the movie Help!
George takes a turn as seen below
notice the Strat by John? this places the Framus 12 in the
Rubber Soul sessions as well.
John can be seen here with a model D-28 in the promotional film for
Hello Goodbye.
John mugs for the camera as usual....
but does an Elvis thing during this one.
on to
