The Beatles

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Paul McCartney plays a Höfner 500/1 bass guitar live onstage and points to the crowd during his 2024 Got Back Tour
Paul McCartney pays tribute to Höfner as the legendary German brand’s future hangs in the balance

By Jonathan Horsley Published

Having played a Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass since 1961, the Beatles icon is saddened to learn of the German brand's plight

3 Comments
Guitars
Hofner Violin Bass
Höfner, the famed instrument maker behind Paul McCartney’s iconic Violin Bass, reportedly files for bankruptcy

By Matt Owen Published

The firm was founded in 1887, and designed the legendary Violin Bass that became Macca’s go-to in the Beatles and beyond

Bass Guitars
George HarrisonEric Clapton 1913 Gibson Pattie Style-0 Sunburst Archtop Acoustic Guitar
George Harrison and Eric Clapton both married the same woman. Now the historic 1913 Gibson acoustic named after Pattie Boyd is headed to auction

By Phil Weller Published

The pair reportedly wrote some of their most iconic songs on the instrument

Acoustic Guitars
George Harrison (1943 - 2001, left) and Eric Clapton at Limehouse Studios in London during recording of the TV programme 'Blue Suede Shoes', spotlighting veteran rockabilly songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins. In the background are drummers Slim Jim Phantom and Ringo Starr
Legendary Abbey Road record producer, Ken Scott, explains how Eric Clapton ended up playing an uncredited solo on a Beatles classic

By Janelle Borg Published

Scott also reveals the recording technique the team used to make sure Clapton's solo sounded Beatles-esque

5 Comments
Guitarists
Ed Sheeran, John Lennon and Taylor Swift
New study names the most inspiring bands for aspiring guitarists – and The Beatles have been beaten to top spot

By Phil Weller Published

UK retailer guitarguitar studied the top 5,000 guitar tabs from Ultimate Guitar to see which artists are having the greatest influence on today's players

Artists
The Beatles perform live in The Cavern Club, Liverpool, August 1962.
Paul McCartney was meant to be the Beatles’ lead guitarist – then stage fright led him to George Harrison

By The Beatles Published

McCartney explains how Harrison became the band’s primary soloist in this exclusive extract from The Beatles Anthology

Bands
John Lennon Framus Hootenanny 12-string
The story of the Framus Hootenanny, the resurrected John Lennon favorite that was a key component of Beatles tone

By Neville Marten Published

Loved by the Animals, the Stones, and most famously John Lennon, what was it about this Framus 12-string that made it a staple of ’60s rock tone?

Acoustic Guitars
The Beatles perform onstage at the Circus Krone-Bau in Munich, Germany on June 24, 1966
The day the Beatles visited New York’s most legendary guitar store

By Jackson Maxwell Published

The salesmen at Manny's Music were happy to give the Fab Four a free guitar, but needed permission from its manufacturer. No freebies, they were told – not even for the biggest band in history

38 Comments
Bands
Framus Hootenanny 6-string and 12-string: inspired the originals used by John Lennon in the 1960s, these reissued acoustics are photographed together against distressed wooden flooring.
“John Lennon’s 12-string has a similar trebly edge to it”: Framus Hootenanny 12-string and 6-string review

By David Mead Published

John Lennon famously used a Framus 12-string acoustic with the Beatles, and 60 years later the company has reissued the model in all its fab finery – and it comes with a little help from a friend!

Acoustic Guitars
An early picture of Paul McCartney returning to the Beatles' base camp at the Cavern, Liverpool. He plays his Höfner 500/1 bass guitar.
The remarkable story of Paul McCartney’s Höfner 500/1 bass – which went missing for 50 years – to feature in new documentary

By Jonathan Horsley Published

McCartney's 'Violin' bass was stolen in London in 1972 and was the subject of a global hunt before being returned to him in 2024

Artists
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