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John Lennon, Photo: Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times

Photo: Tony Barnard, Los Angeles Times · CC BY 4.0

Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by John Lennon. Every item links to its public source.
18 items · Last checked

What guitar does John Lennon play?

John Lennon was seen playing Rickenbacker 325 guitars, a Gibson J-160E acoustic, an Epiphone Casino, a Gretsch 6120 and a Framus Hootenanny 12-string with the Beatles. His first Vox was an AC15 Twin. He wrote Imagine on a Steinway Model Z upright and played a Sardonyx, an Ovation and a Gibson Hummingbird on Double Fantasy.

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What guitars John Lennon uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Guitars

11 items

Amps

3 items

Pianos

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About John Lennon's gear.

What guitar did John Lennon play?

He was seen with Rickenbacker 325s from the Beatles' early days, a Gibson J-160E acoustic, an Epiphone Casino from Revolver to Abbey Road and on Imagine, a Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins and a Framus Hootenanny 12-string on Help! and Rubber Soul.

What amp did John Lennon use?

His first Vox, an AC15 Twin bought at Hessy's in 1962, was used at the Cavern and on the first EMI sessions. He owned a Fender Deluxe he later gave away, and on Double Fantasy his electric parts went through a Fender Twin.

What piano did John Lennon write Imagine on?

He wrote Imagine on a Steinway Model Z upright, bought in 1970 for his studio at Tittenhurst Park. For Sgt Pepper songs such as Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds he used a Broadwood upright.

What guitars did John Lennon use on Double Fantasy?

Producer Jack Douglas said Lennon kept coming back to a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic, an Ovation acoustic and a Sardonyx electric, all kept behind his bed at the Dakota, with a Fender Twin for the electric parts.

What was John Lennon's first electric guitar?

His first electric was a Hofner Club 40, and he bought his first Rickenbacker 325 during the Beatles' 1960 Hamburg residency.

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John Lennon
About this guide · Last checked

John Lennon (1940 to 1980) co-founded the Beatles and made Imagine, Plastic Ono Band and Double Fantasy as a solo artist. This legacy guide covers the Rickenbacker, Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch and Framus guitars, the Vox and Fender amps and the pianos he was seen playing, from auction records and guitar press.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. John Lennon didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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