George Harrison bought his first Gretsch in the
early 60's in Liverpool. His black Duo Jet reportedly was his
favorite Gretsch guitar. George Harrison's black Duo Jet has a
Bigsby vibrato arm, and is prominently featured on the cover of
George's mid 80s classic solo album, "Cloud Nine." George used
this guitar for years in the recording studio.
Gretsch has made a great reissue of the Original Guitar and we
always try keep one in stock at Ed Roman Guitars
1961: 1957 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet semi-solid
mahogany body, black finish, silver pickguard; Serial #21179:
Harrison found this one through a member of a band called the
Delacardoes, who got a tip from a taxi driver. The driver, Ivan
Hayward, was a former merchant seaman who was planning on emigrating
and had decided to sell the Gretsch Duo Jet he'd bought at Sam Goody's in New York City in 1957. "God knows how I managed to get
75 quid together," Harrison recalls in the Anthology book.
"It seemed like a fortune. I remember having it in my inside
pocket, thinking 'I hope nobody mugs me.' " (As it turned out, he
only had £70 at the time and had to leave an IOU for the
balance -- (Which henever got around to paying.) The Duo Jet
sported "humped block" inlays, a Bigsby vibrato and two single-coil
DeArmond pickups. Harrison used this sturdy, stylish beauty for
the early singles, the Please Please Me sessions and
innumerable shows in Hamburg, at the Cavern, the Casbah and
throughout Britain until late spring '63. Then, after getting a
swankier Gretsch, Harrison gave this instrument to Hamburg mate
Klaus Voormann, who changed one pickup and hung on to it for about
20 years before giving it back to Harrison. Sometime in late '85 or
'86 this guitar was sent to guitar tech Alan Rogan, who gave it to
luthier Roger Giffin for
the rehab work. "I had to rewire it," Giffin recalls, "because true
to form with old Gretsch guitars, the original wiring was
disintegrating." Rogan "was working with George on and off at the
time. He also brought in a '50s Strat and George's original
Rickenbacker 12 string. I refinished the Strat matte black (I've
seen George playing that in a video) but I'm not sure what I did to
the Rickenbacker."
Regarding the Duo Jet, Melvyn Hiscock recalls
that Giffin also "had a spare DeArmond pickup which he fitted and
generally gave the guitar the once-over. I was Roger's shop manager
and was there when all this happened. I even got to play 'Twist and
Shout' and a few other Beatle tunes on it." Harrison put the
restored Duo Jet to use on Cloud Nine (1987), whose cover it
graces. Pictured above is Gretsch's authentic G6128-57 reissue.
Gretsch George Harrison Duo Jet Models 1957 & 1962
When the Beatles started to get famous in the
early 60s, George bought a 1962 Chet Atkins "Country Gentleman"
Gretsch guitar. George can be seen using this one more often
than anything else on stage. I am given to understand he didn't
use it as much in the studio recordings. There were many attempts at reissuing the Country
Gentleman as George played it and finally Gretsch has got it
totally right.
The Gretsch logo on the plexi pickguard is the only
marking, two Filter-trons, Grover Imperials and even the dual
mutes have been brought back.
Through a special arrangement with Gretsch, Ed Roman now
offers exclusively A Jet black version to commemorate the black
& white TV . Affectionately dubbed the" Ed Sullivan tribute
model" which was issued in 2004 30 years after the cancellation
of the show and 40 years to the month when the Beatles appeared
on it in February of 1964.
I can remember being glued to the TV set every
Sunday night to see those first 3 shows. I was 14 and I wanted
to be a Beatle... In fact George was always my favorite Beatle.
Our birthdays are even the same.
1963: 1962
Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman (black finish) gold hardware,
Neo-Classic inlays, dial-up mutes, Gretsch Bigsby vibrato, two
Filter'Tron pickups:
In May Harrison upgraded to this more
deluxe Gretsch he found at Sound City London, and after removing
the mutes -- and later the bass-side screw-up knob -- used it
extensively for touring and recording (first on "She Loves You"
and then With The Beatles).
It's also seen in the famous Royal Command
performance. When this guitar went into the shop for repair,
Sound City gave him another one, but while in the shop this
first Gent was stolen. It was later recovered, and Harrison,
preferring his second Gent, relegated this one to backup duty.
(Both Gents are photographed together at a 1963 gig.
Above is Gretsch's exact reproduction of
the Original George Harrison Country Gentleman. Ed Roman Guitar
King offers both versions of this guitar in the deep original
brown color. Ed Roman also offers both versions in the Jet black
color.
Eventually we will run out of the model
without the mute because Gretsch will no longer be offering it.
We have been told they are discontinuing it. Currently Gretsch
has knocked over $500.00 off the price of the soon to be
discontinued models.
At this writing we still have plenty of
inventory. So if you can live without the mutes you can save up
to $700.00 simply for choosing the one without the mutes.
This Gent met its fate on a roadway. On 2
December 65 the Beatles' limo, bound for Glasgow for the first
stop of the band's last British tour, hit a bump at Berwick on
Tweed. This first Gent had been lashed to the boot (trunk) and
came untied, and it wound up on the road. When Ringo Starr
noticed a trucker flashing his lights, he notified the driver,
Alf Bicknell, who pulled over. "You've just lost a banjo back
down the road," the trucker told Alf. Alf broke the news to
Lennon, who told him that if he found the banjo, the driver
would get a bonus -- he could keep his job. Alf doubled back
and found it -- in pieces -- but kept his job anyway. As the
band was in a hurry, they left the pieces in the road and kept
going.
George's Country Gentleman got damaged beyond repair in
this mishap,
There are other rumors that the guitar was stolen. I
have it on good authority that 3 of the Beatles
guitars were stolen
from a rehearsal studio.
One was George's 65 Rickenbacker and
one was one of Paul's Hofner's, The third one has not been revealed
to me.
George replaced his Broken/Stolen guitar with another Gretsch
Chet Atkins model, the Tennessean.
The Tennessean is a little
smaller than the Gent, and also utilized the Electrotone body with
the painted F holes.
George can be seen
playing this guitar in their second US tour, including the massive
first Shea stadium concert in 1965. Sometimes the
Tennessean with Hi Lo Trons is referred to as "The Ticket To
Ride Guitar"
Gretsch 1962 "Ticket to Ride" Reissue 6119HT
John Lennon also played a Gretsch guitar, Lennon used a 6120
Gretsch Nashville model. Mostly it was used on the Revolver
album. There are scarce few pictures of him with it. Gretsch
reissued the mid sixties 6120 Nashville double cut, just like
John's, and it is available at Ed Roman Guitars
Beatle Bass
George Harrison was the first guitar player that ever
influenced me, I was 14 years old when the Beatles came on
Ed Sullivan and my world was changed forever. I moved on to
Jeff Beck, & Leslie West and Lindsey Buckingham but years later I
came back to really appreciating the incredible talent that
was George Harrison. George was my favorite Beatle and
ironically the only one of them I never actually met face to
face.
Today almost 40 years later I am amazed every time I
listen to the early Beatle tracks. Remember, George Harrison
was the youngest of the Beatles and was only 19 when he was
recording all those great songs in the early 60's. I cannot
imagine how and where he learned to play so well.
Ed Roman
Original Model came out without the mutes
The new ones have the mutes installed right in the factory
George's original Country Gentleman was brown. Many people
(including myself) thought it was black.
After all, we all saw the Beatles on black & white TV. Plus,
brown isn't a very rock n' roll color.
Above a picture of George with an obviously refinished black Gretsch
Country Gentleman.
Ed Roman has made a special arrangement with Gretsch to
build this guitar in this color.
Originally only
20 or 30 were made to commemorate 30 years after the Ed
Sullivan Show. They are again available and in stock at Ed
Roman Guitars Las Vegas.
This guitar is the Ed Sullivan Commemorative
Model
George Harrison bought his first Gretsch in the
early 60's in Liverpool. His black Duo Jet reportedly was his
favorite Gretsch guitar. George Harrison's black Duo Jet has a
Bigsby vibrato arm, and is prominently featured on the cover of
George's mid 80s classic solo album, "Cloud Nine." George used
this guitar for years in the recording studio.
planning on emigrating
and had decided to sell the Gretsch Duo Jet he'd bought at Sam Goody's in New York City in 1957. "God knows how I managed to get
75 quid together," Harrison recalls in the Anthology book.
"It seemed like a fortune. I remember having it in my inside
pocket, thinking 'I hope nobody mugs me.' " (As it turned out, he
only had £70 at the time and had to leave an IOU for the
balance -- (Which he
never got around to paying.) The Duo Jet
sported "humped block" inlays, a Bigsby vibrato and two single-coil
DeArmond pickups. Harrison used this sturdy, stylish beauty for
the early singles, the Please Please Me sessions and
innumerable shows in Hamburg, at the Cavern, the Casbah and
throughout Britain until late spring '63. Then, after getting a
swankier Gretsch, Harrison gave this instrument to Hamburg mate
Klaus Voormann, who changed one pickup and hung on to it for about
20 years before giving it back to Harrison. Sometime in late '85 or
'86 this guitar was sent to guitar tech Alan Rogan, who gave it to
luthier Roger Giffin for
the rehab work. "I had to rewire it," Giffin recalls, "because true
to form with old Gretsch guitars, the original wiring was
disintegrating." Rogan "was working with George on and off at the
time. He also brought in a '50s Strat and George's original
Rickenbacker 12 string. I refinished the Strat matte black (I've
seen George playing that in a video) but I'm not sure what I did to
the Rickenbacker." 
