John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's musical instruments were both diverse and many, and his worldwide fame resulted in his personal choices having a strong impact on cultural preferences.

Overview

played various guitars with

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

and during his solo career, most notably the

Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. The company is credited as the first known maker of electric guitars – a steel guitar in 1932 – and today produces a rang ...

(four variants thereof) and

Epiphone Casino The Epiphone Casino is a thinline hollow body electric guitar manufactured by Epiphone, a branch of Gibson. The guitar debuted in 1961 and has been associated with such guitarists as Howlin' Wolf, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, K ...

, along with various

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

and Fender guitars. His other instrument of choice was the piano, on which he also composed many songs. For instance, Lennon's jamming on a piano together with

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

led to creation of "

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. With advance orders ...

" in 1963. Lennon's musicianship went beyond guitar and piano, when he showed his proficiency on the harmonica in early Beatles records. His mother,

Julia Lennon Julia Lennon (''née'' Stanley; 12 March 1914 – 15 July 1958) was the mother of English musician John Lennon, who was born during her marriage to Alfred Lennon. After complaints to Liverpool's Social Services by her eldest sister, Mimi Sm ...

first showed him how to play the banjo and encouraged him to learn to play guitar, when they would practice together, "sitting there with endless patience until I managed to work out all the chords". According to Lennon, it was Julia who introduced him to rock 'n’ roll and actively encouraged him to pursue his musical ambitions. After Julia's death in 1958 the instrument was never seen again and its whereabouts remain a mystery. Lennon also played keyboards besides piano ( electric piano, Hammond organ,

Lowrey organ The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or '' ...

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

, Mellotron, harpsichord,

clavioline The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer. It was invented by French engineer Constant Martin in 1947 in Versailles. The instrument consists of a keyboard and a separate amplifier and speaker ...

), saxophone, harmonica,

six-string bass guitar An extended-range bass is an electric bass guitar with a wider frequency range than a standard-tuned four-string bass guitar. Terminology One way that a bass can be considered 'extended-range' is to use a tuning machine mechanism that allows fo ...

(either he or George Harrison, when McCartney was playing piano or guitar), and some percussion (in the studio).

Replica guitars

makes several "Lennon" model electric guitars, Gibson makes a limited-edition replica of his J-160E and an "inspired by" John Lennon Les Paul replicating the modified Junior. Epiphone also makes two "Lennon" edition guitars; the EJ-160e and the Inspired by John Lennon Casino.

Piano

Lennon composed his biggest solo hit "

Imagine Imagine may refer to: * Imagination Music Albums * ''Imagine'' (Armin van Buuren album), 2008 * ''Imagine'' (Eva Cassidy album), 2002 * ''Imagine'' (Janice Vidal album), 2012 * ''Imagine'' (John Lennon album), 1971 ** ''Imagine: John Lennon' ...

" on a

Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...

upright piano. In 2000, this piano was bought by George Michael at an auction for £1.45 million. Later, the piano was on charity tour called the Imagine Piano Peace Project.

Sound effects

Lennon used a variety of sound sources for his songs, such as radios, sound effect records, resonators, and even his own heartbeat. He recorded his, Ono's and their baby's heartbeat, for sounds on the '' Wedding Album'' and '' Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions''.

Instruments

Guitars

* Rickenbacker 325 (four models): ** His original 1958 model, modified with Bigsby vibrato and nonstandard control knobs, nicknamed "Hamburg." ** A 1964 six-string model used on the Beatles' first appearance on

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

, serial number DB122, nicknamed "Miami." This guitar was displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in 2014 on loan from

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

. ** A twelve-string model (similar to DB122), with a trapeze tail piece. Only used a few times in the studio, most notably on “Every Little Thing”. Lennon used it at home for songwriting purposes. ** A Rose Morris model 1996, finished in Rickenbacker's Fireglo finish, and with a standard sound

f hole A sound hole is an opening in the body of a stringed musical instrument, usually the upper sound board. Sound holes have different shapes: * round in flat-top guitars and traditional bowl-back mandolins; * F-holes in instruments from the vio ...

. Used after Lennon's second Rickenbacker had some damage. Lennon used it for home studio use and it was given to Ringo Starr sometime later on. *

(In 1968 Lennon had his sunburst Casino professionally stripped of its paint, removed the pickguard and changed the tuning machines to gold Grovers) * A twelve-string

Framus Framus is a German string instrument manufacturing company, that existed from 1946 until going bankrupt in 1975. The Framus brand was revived in 1995 as part of Warwick GmbH & Co Music Equipment KG, in Markneukirchen, Germany. The company's cu ...

Hootenanny acoustic used during the ''

Beatles for Sale ''Beatles for Sale'' is the fourth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 4 December 1964 in the United Kingdom on EMI's Parlophone label. The album marked a departure from the upbeat tone that had characterised ...

'', ''

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...

'' and ''

Rubber Soul ''Rubber Soul'' is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It was released on 3 December 1965 in the United Kingdom, on EMI's Parlophone label, accompanied by the non-album double A-side single " Day Tripper" / " We Can ...

'' sessions and was possibly used on "

Polythene Pam "Polythene Pam" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album '' Abbey Road''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the fourth song of the album's climactic side-two medley. The Beatles recorded ...

". * Gibson Les Paul Jr. which was modified with the addition of a Charlie Christian pick-up * Gibson J-160E Acoustic-electric guitar *

Gibson SJ-200 The Gibson J-200 (formerly the Gibson SJ-200 or Super Jumbo 200), is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. History Gibson entered into production of this model in 1937 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar, initia ...

In "The Beatles: Get Back," Lennon is seen playing this distinctive acoustic-electric guitar (sunburst finish, floral pick guard pattern and "moustache" bridge decor) on different songs. * 1962

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...

finish in Sonic Blue used from 1965–68. * Fender The STRAT: candy apple red “Strat” with 22 carat gold electroplated brass hardware bought in 1980. *

Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is an electric guitar produced by Fender. Together with its sister model the Esquire, it is the world's first mass-produced, commercially successful Les Paul had built a prototype solid bo ...

Höfner Karl Höfner GmbH & Co. KG is a German (originally Austro-Bohemian) manufacturer of musical instruments, with one division that manufactures guitars and basses, and another that manufactures other string instruments, such as violins, violas, cel ...

Senator: according to George Harrison it was bought in 1960 and used for his songwriting purposes. Later given to roadie

Mal Evans Malcolm Frederick Evans (27 May 1935 – 5 January 1976) was an English road manager and personal assistant employed by the Beatles from 1963 until their break-up in 1970. In the early 1960s, Evans was employed as a telephone engineer, and a ...

. *

Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

Starfire XII: Given to him by Guild in August 1966, likely used on a 12-string guitar part on "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album '' The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While ...

". Most likely used for his home studio, somehow it got to

's second husband Anthony Cox. Currently on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu, Hawaii. *

Gretsch 6120 The Gretsch 6120 is a hollow body electric guitar with f-holes, manufactured by Gretsch and first appearing in the mid-1950s with the endorsement of Chet Atkins. It was quickly adopted by rockabilly artists Eddie Cochran, Duane Eddy, and later b ...

: (used on the '' Revolver'' sessions), used for songwriting purposes at his home studio but has been in Lennon's cousin David Birch's hands since 1967. Currently on display at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. * A 1965 Martin D-28 (bought in early 1967 and taken to India in February 1968) * An Ovation acoustic. * A custom Yamaha acoustic given to him by wife

. *

Club guitar, used after his Gallotone Champion suffered some damage. * Gibson Les Paul 25/50 (given to Julian in 1978) *

Fender Bass VI The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass guitar made by Fender. Design concept and history The Fender VI was released in 1961 and followed the concept of the Danelectro six-string bass released in 195 ...

: The bass guitar that him and George Harrison would use when Paul McCartney would play piano or guitar. Used on

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the last album the group started recording, although '' Let It Be'' was the last album completed before the band's break-up in April 1970. It was mostly ...

, and Let It Be. * Vox

Guitorgan A Guitorgan is an electric guitar with electronic organ components added. Each guitar fret is separated into six segments, creating independent contact switches for each string. The organ notes are keyed when a string touches a specific segment. ...

, Lennon had received it as a gift from Dick Denny, the inventor of the instrument. Lennon eventually gave the guitar along with his Höfner Senator to road manager and friend

. It was later auctioned. * Sardonyx: a very rare semi-custom guitar built by Jeff Levin with custom electronics by Ken Schaffer. Lennon played the Sardonyx on ''

Double Fantasy ''Double Fantasy'' is the fifth album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in November 1980 on Geffen Records. Produced by Lennon, Ono and Jack Douglas, it was the seventh and final studio album released by Lennon during his lifetime. The al ...

'' and used it in session the day he was killed. File:Gallotone Champion guitar body.jpg, Gallotone Champion File:Hofner Club40John Lennon Edition 1.jpg, Hofner Club40 John Lennon Edition File:John Lennon's Gretsch 6120 (SN 53,940).jpg, John Lennon's Gretsch 6120 (S/N 53940) File:Fender-VI-Bass.jpg, Fender Bass VI File:Vox V251 guitarOrgan-IMG 5539.jpg, Vox V251 Guitorgan File:The Beatles' 1966 Guild Starfire XII 12-string, HRC Honolulu.jpg, The Beatles' 1966 Guild Starfire XII 12-string

Amplifiers

* Various Vox amplifiers, such as the AC-30, UL7120 and UL730 and the Super Beatle * Various

Fender amplifiers Fender amplifiers are a series of electric instrument amplifiers produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The first guitar amplifiers attributed to Leo Fender were manufactured by the K&F Manufacturing Corporation (K&F) betwee ...

, such as the Deluxe Reverb and the Twin Reverb *

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

amplifiers

Pedals

* Vox Tone Bender *

Dallas Arbiter The Fuzz Face is an effects pedal for electric guitar, used also by some electric bass players. It is designed to produce a distorted sound referred to as "fuzz", originally achieved through accident such as broken electrical components or damaged ...

Fuzz Face The Fuzz Face is an effects pedal for electric guitar, used also by some electric bass players. It is designed to produce a distorted sound referred to as "fuzz", originally achieved through accident such as broken electrical components or damaged ...

pedal (during the '' Let It Be'' Sessions) *

Maestro Fuzz pedal * Vox Wah pedal * Rush PepBox

Keyboards

upright piano model Z * Bechstein D-280 concert grand piano *

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

and

Hohner Pianet The Hohner Pianet is a type of electro-mechanical piano built by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany and designed by Ernst Zacharias. The Pianet was a variant of his earlier reed-based Hohner electric piano, the Cembalet, which, like ...

pianos * Mellotron (the MK II model was used only at Lennon's home and is now residing at Interscope Records) * Moog synthesizer used during ''

''. * Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 used during ''

'' *

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

used at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

and in the studio. Broke after Shea Stadium. Several other singular and dual manual Continentals were seen in the studio and at John's home from 1966–70. * Clavinet * Hammond organ *

Harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...

* Harpsichord *

Clavioline The clavioline is an electronic keyboard instrument, a forerunner to the analog synthesizer. It was invented by French engineer Constant Martin in 1947 in Versailles. The instrument consists of a keyboard and a separate amplifier and speaker ...

Harmonicas

* Various

Hohner Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of musical instruments, founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner (1833–1902). The roots of the Hohner firm are in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg. Since its foundation, and though known ...

diatonic, chromatic, chord and bass harmonicas

Percussion

Tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

Maraca A maraca (), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas (from Guaraní ), also known as tamaracas, were ...

s *

Cowbell A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...

* Congas

Headphones

* AKG K240 Sextett

Other

* Banjo *

Whistling Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

Tape loop In music, tape loops are loops of magnetic tape used to create repetitive, rhythmic musical patterns or dense layers of sound when played on a tape recorder. Originating in the 1940s with the work of Pierre Schaeffer, they were used among cont ...

s *

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

References

External links

Equipment

{{John Lennon John Lennon, Musical Instruments Lennon, John Lennon, John