Exclusive lessons, interviews, presales and features from the GW archive
Curated Newsletters
Handpicked guitar news, lessons and gear highlights
Early Access
Our biggest stories will go to Backstage Pass holders first
Achievements
Unlock badges as you learn and explore
Join the Conversation
Connect with fellow GW fans across the globe
Tailored For You
Lessons, gear and stories picked for you
Sign up to Guitar World Backstage Pass
For the quickest way to join, enter your email below. We’ll send a confirmation email and sign you up to Guitar World newsletters with the latest news, gear reviews, lessons and exclusive offers.
Join Backstage Pass for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,
have read our
Privacy Policy
and agree to the
Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
“John, Paul, George, Ringo, the first time they ever performed together in the Cavern Club, this amp was what they used”: Hear the amp said to be John Lennon’s first Vox put through its paces – with Noel Gallagher’s Les Paul
A 1962 Fawn JMI Vox AC15 Twin, believed to be John Lennon’s first Vox amp, is up for auction tomorrow (November 14). Lennon is thought to have used the amp during The Beatles' early shows at the Cavern Club and in recording their debut album, Please Please Me, at Abbey Road Studios.
“John, Paul, George, Ringo, the first time they ever performed together in the Cavern Club in Liverpool, this Vox AC 15 twin amp was the amplifier that they used,” comments Mark Hochman from auction house Propstore.
“It had been previously purchased around about three or four days earlier by Lennon himself and their manager, Brian Epstein, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The historic amp is estimated to sell for between approximately $127,000 (£100,000) and $254,000 (£200,000), with current bids already exceeding the former figure.
In the video below, session musician Stuart Sidney puts the amp through its paces – courtesy of another piece of British music history, Noel Gallagher's Custom Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine guitar.
The previous owner, presumably unaware of the serial number’s link to Lennon and the Fab Four, had painted the exterior matte black. Once the connection was discovered, the paint was meticulously removed to expose the original Fawn covering.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
The brown diamond-pattern grille cloth and Goodman Alnico speakers were also restored to a period-correct format. Despite general scuffing and clear signs of age, the amp remains in remarkably good condition.
Since the initial Guitar World report, further research and photographic evidence indicate that Lennon’s AC15 Twin remained with The Beatles longer than first thought, until late 1963.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology and how it is shaping the future of the music industry, and has a special interest in shining a spotlight on traditionally underrepresented artists and global guitar sounds. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Auf der Maur, Yvette Young, Danielle Haim, Fanny, and Karan Katiyar from Bloodywood, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her Anglo-Maltese, art-rock band ĠENN.
