Customer Reviews

Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio

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My favorite book on The Beatles has always been "The Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn. It has been relaced, now - however remaining a close 2nd - by "Beatles Gear"!

This book is for those like me who are not only Beatles enthusiasts, but also musicians who want to know every little bit of info (or, as much info as they can get) on all the instruments, and amps, and drums, etc. that the Beatles used during their career. Being a huge Beatle fan (and musician, as stated already), I thought I had a pretty decent knowledge of their guitars they used. Well..... how little I actually DID know! I learned a few things, already, after only skimming through the book for the first time...... like that George had TWO Gretsch Country Gents that look similar but are different in their switch configurations. Look at the photos provided of George onstage at different shows, and lo and behold! Two different Country Gents! Cool!

Other invaluable bits of info for the Beatle fan who must know "everything".... Ringo had three different Ludwig drum sets - with which five different "The Beatles" logo drum heads were used on the kick drum over the few years they toured. Amazing!

We all know Paul has had two Hofner violin basses - a '61 and a '63 - of which the '63 model became his main axe..... and we know John had two Rick 325's, the first of which he had painted black, and the second that was black from the start. But, I didn't know he had a 12-string version of his famous black 325!

The book is full of great photos of the actual guitars bought and used by John, Paul, and George... and, where an actual guitar could not be located for photographing, an exact model is provided.

Equally important, and covered as extensively as the guitars and drums, are the amplifiers.... and the keyboards, as well.

I could go on and on, but it would be more fun for you to learn for yourselves! Buy this book!!! I don't know why it took me so long to buy it!

Get this book with Mark Lewisohn's "The Recording Sessions" for a glimpse behind the Beatle curtain at their recording instruments.

For people who are interested in the amps, musical instruments, recording devices and technology of that era, then you want to read this book. You also develop a heightened awareness of the Beatles' musical instruments such as the differences in both of George Harrison's Country Gents guitar. ("Before He Was Fab," a book co-authored by George's only sister describes a Rickenbacker the youngest Beatle bought in September of 1963 during his visit to Benton, Illinois). You also get some interesting detailed information on the different drum kits Ringo used; Paul McCartney's famous 1961 and 1963 Hofner bass guitars; John's famous acoustics and you even get the scoop on the Beatles' logo and how it changed on the drum kits! That was new to me and I've been an inveterate Beatle fan and Beatle expert for most of my life!

Readers are treated to photographs of the Beatles' instruments and other technical devices, e.g. recording equipment. I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Babiuk speak at a Beatles' convention and the man is truly a scholar. This is a book well worth having!

I have to say, I bought this book primarily for the photographs. The large, glossy, color photos of every guitar, bass, and drum kit ever used by the Beatles. It was an absolute dream come true. But, to tell you the truth, I got a lot more than just a lot of fantastic pictures. I decided, when I bought this book, that I would read it cover to cover, no matter what, automatically assuming that paragraphs about amps and microphones would bore me to death. Not so. The way Babiuk wrote sparked an interest inside me so that I was eating up the information on amps and microphones as fast as I was eating up the information on guitar strings and bass pick ups. This book puts everything in such an interesting light, that I have become re-inspired, and I now look for more than just a great color when buying a guitar.

Of course, if you are just buying it for the photos, you won't be dissappointed. An absolute plethora of pictures adorn the huge pages of this book, making it a real sight for guitar-starved eyes.

There have been Beatles books written by nearly everyone who ever came within a mile of the group. And many have been written by people who never even came that close!

However, Beatles Gear fills a void that previous books rarely touched on: the instruments the Beatles used. While this subject may only appeal to instrument enthusiasts and the most fervent Beatles fan, it does add something valuable to the history of the group. One feels Andy Babiuk really did his research and made an attempt to fully cover every instrument the band owned or played.

This book makes a nice suppliment to the "bible" that is Lewisohn's "Recording Sessions." The pictures are (mostly) beautifully rendered and many have not been seen before.

While this book is not for everyone, it makes the distinction of being a rare Beatles book that adds to wealth of knowledge already out there.

I became a Beatles' fan on that 1st night of Ed Sullivan in February 1964. I was mesmerized by the music which became a driving force in my life-to this day. Naturally I had to pick up a guitar and try it for myself. Over the years I stared at pictures of the boys with their various pieces of equipment. As a musician and a fan I had to know every instrument they played. This book is a diehard Beatle fan's dream. In fact I wish that the book was longer. It tells the story of practically every instrument the boys played-what make/model, where it came from, what happened to it---you get the picture. Couple this book with Mark Lewisohn's Recording Sessions and you get an almost complete picture of the Beatles in the studio and on stage. As John said, "Ya shoulda been there!" Well, with this book, I am a little closer. Thank you, Andy.
(P.S. I am writing this in the shadow of my Epiphone Casino, my Beatle bass, and my Fender Twin Reverb Amplifier.)

This is the perfect book especially for fans because it concentrates on the music and the tools used to make that music. You won't find any nonsense about infighting etc. Like other reviewers have said, Babiuk's book is the product of meticulous research. Every guitar, every amp, and drum kit is included in chronological order, with detailed pictures, and sales invoices ( in the early years when the boys had to BUY their equipment,by 1963 it was being given to them gratis, the various companies seeing it as an honor, and a sales booster that the Beatles were using their equipment).

George: The biggest guitar buff of the group. He was obsessed, and as time went on he aquired so many guitars that I lost count and began to get confused! ( well not really) He even gave some of them names. Even early on when the guys had no money he was the one who seemed to persuade his doting mother to foot the bill ( at Hessy's Music Shop) for a new guitar. Every guitar Mr. Harrison owned is detailed with glorious color pictures and a story to go with it. I remember reading years ago about a Beatle guitar that ended up under the wheels of a truck on some highway. This book reveals that it was his beloved Gretch Country Gentleman, that he used from 1963 to 1965 (when it happened), and the guitar he played on Sullivan. Needless to say, it was reduced to a few smashed pieces laying in the street and the rest was ground under the wheels of the truck (ouch). No matter, Harrison had already moved on to a Gibson SG Standard by this time. (the red one with cutaway horns on each side of the neck.)
You will also read about the 12 strings owned by George and the beautiful sound they made. There is a lot of detail about his Rickenbacker 12s and I was facinated because I didn't know much about 12 strings.

Speaking of sounds this book talks about which guitars were used on which songs and which albums. I don't think any book has ever done this. Now I know for sure that the opening guitar on 'Ticket to Ride' was George's '63 Rick 12 string. And when Paul did a guitar solo,like the ones he plays on 'Taxman','Ticket to Ride',and the many he does on 'Pepper', he always chose his favorite electric giutar, an Epiphone Casino.

Paul: The most frugal member of the group. Even early on it took him a long time to buy a good guitar, and when his crappy Rossetti Solid 7 fell apart in Hamburg, he resorted to piano. Always told by his dad to "never get yourself into dept", when he finally bought his Hofner violin shaped 500/1 bass guitar, he worked out a careful payment plan with the music store. Interestingly, it seems the only reason Paul picked this bass at the time was because it was all he could afford. So it is ironic that it ended up being his favorite, and his trademark. Even when he dropped Hofner from Rubber Soul, through Magical Mystery Tour in favor of the cooler looking Rickenbacker Bass, he ended up going back to Hofner by the Let it Be sessions, and still plays one today. I love the sound of the Rick however. You can hear the difference on the records.

John: He loved his Rickenbackers and was as loyal to a guitar as Paul. When he discovered Rick in Hamburg he stuck to it for the next five years. John liked to tinker with his guitars a lot, something you will find out when you read this fantastic book. And both John and Paul seemed to be less fanatical about aquiring guitars than their lead player was.

Ringo: The story of his many drum kits from a lousy Premier, all of the Ludwigs and finally a beautiful kit that he purchased in 1968,is detailed, as well as the origins of the two famous Beatles logos. This part was extremely interesting.

One very ironic thing I found out is, in the early years the Beatles especially George really wanted Fender guitars, but were never able to afford them, by the time they were successful however, they had already discovered and fallen in love with their own brands. By this time Fender was BEGGING them to use their equipment but it was too late. They were too happy with the Gibsons and Gretches and Hofners and Rickenbackers. Eventually Fender wound their way into the groups hearts ( anything they wanted and all for free of course) and you will read about this towards the end of the book. I won't give anything else away, and even what I did tell you barely covers the exhausting detail you will find in this book. I could not put it down.

The Beatles are a touchstone for many of our lives. The music seems impossible and miraculous. With the still recent release of their demos and outtakes, we have seen that there was a method to the mad genius of their creative 14-year partnership, and mere 7 year recording period. We want to know how they did it and, that tired interview question, "what it was *like"... We want to play the instruments they played to see if there might be any talent in the tool. You'd be shocked at how many Beatle Nerds are walking around out there, many living in the closet, and we want to be able to recite some pretty minute details about how the greatest recordings of the 20th century came to be. This collection features some luscious and rare photos and some satisfying detailed descriptions and back-story. But it is never enough for the ravenous Beatle Backers. Here in my hometown of Los Angeles, CA, many a Beatle-phile knows great Beatle truths that have yet to find their way to print. For instance we know that the Beatles used VOX amps, but did you know that for every major concert, there were Vox technicians backstage to fix or replace these notoriously cranky boxes? We get a hint of that in this book... but do we know which Vox was used on "Paperback Writer"? Which songs got the like-sounding Selmer amp instead? And what of the recording process itself? Which mics were used? What kind of board? What kind of limiters? Lenny Kravits makes a detailed study of these facts in his career of producing his paint-by-numbers deconstructed classic rock. He is famous for knowing and employing the recording secrets to sonically pleasing effect. He actually owns one of the consoles the Fabs recorded with! I want to know what he and his team knows. Babuik's book doesn't get that deep. And for most readers that is probably a mercifully good thing. But from my research, this is only the first in what will probably be an ongoing lineage of increasingly detailed "GEAR GUIDES"... This one is a must for your collection, but be forewarned, it won't be the last, because for the ever-increasing Beatle masses, it's never enough. Beatle Gear will prove to be an "Overview" in coming years as we get more and more of the story. I think that's "FAB"... now buy "BEATLES GEAR" and enjoy.

If you've ever wondered exactly how the Beatles achieved the sounds they did this is the way to find out. Babuik lists every guitar/amp/keyboard/drum set the Fab Four ever played. Just how detailed is it? Well he let's you know, for instance, that take one of "Strawberry Fields Forever" uses the "brass" setting on the mellotron. That's obtained, Babuik tells us, by pushing the station #2 pushbutton, then selecting track "b". Take two was the first to use the "flute" sound (that would be found by pushing the station #1 pushbutton, then selecting track "a"). You get the idea. He even devotes a paragraph to picks. I think the only thing he skipped was the type of guitar polish they used. This book is the definitive look at the Beatles instruments.

You might think a book about the Beatles guitars would be a somewhat dry read. Yet Andy Bubiak turns the whole story into one of the most fascinating reads on the Beatles I have ever encountered. Behind the scenes stories, interviews with people who were instrumental (pardon the pun) in working with the Beatles to get their guitars and amps... Suddenly, you remember that these guys were musicians who LOVED music (something that seems to have gotten lost in so many other Beatles books). This is a MUST HAVE book for any Beatle fan - lots of stories and photos you simply won't see anywhere else. If you loved Mark Lewisohn's books, you will love this. Get it now, give it as a gift, but whatever you do, don't pass this one by...

Anyone who has the passion for guitars combined with facination with the Beatles, will find Andy Babiuk's "Beatles Gear" the perfect remedy. It's the kind of book you can't put down. After you read it straight through, you'll find yourself constantly flipping it open at random to savor hundreds of inside information tidbits that will open your eyes to the inner workings of the Fab Four. But if that weren't enough, you'll get facinating information on a plethora of guitar models, amps, keyboards, drums and any other instrument that contributed to the variety of Beatle sounds. And the information you learn is applicable and valuable in today's market as well!
For nostalgia, or for solid reference, this is a must have book.