February 2025 - Page 3 of 3 - The Beatles Bookstore

GEORGE HARRISON’S GUITAR – THE FRETLESS “MAD” GUITAR

Very rarely have I taken the time to read a book about a specific guitar, so this is a first. Written by author Paul Brett, it tells a fascinating story which you will find quite interesting. Here are a few quotes from the Amazon description of the book.

From the Amazon description of the book: Copies of the book can be found at Amazon, Ebay, and most book search services such as Abe Books.

“The prototype fretless model was gifted to the Beatles legend by Hollywood session player and music shop owner Al Casey, whose wife Maxine took it to Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles while Harrison was staying there in 1967.

Returning to the UK with his new acquisition, it was used by Harrison and John Lennon on sessions for ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ and ‘Helter Skelter’ as the legendary Liverpool outfit recorded classic 1968 double-album The Beatles, aka The White Album.

Guitar experts and aficionados were previously unaware of the prototype’s important part in Beatles mythology, its history a mystery until 2019, after UK session guitarist Ray Russell asked, ‘Who knows anything about this guitar George Harrison gave me in 1985?’

Finding Fretless also brings in the guitar’s associations with Charles Manson’s infamous murderous cult, a million-dollar lawsuit, fire, frying pans, drunken fistfights, corporate shenanigans, Elvis, The Wrecking Crew, and much more.”

I received my signed copy of the book from the author of this fascinating book back in 2021. Paul was a member of my old FB group before I left the social medium. Paul was one of more than 100 Beatle-related book authors that were members of the group. “

Finding Fretless George's Guitar — Finding Fretless George’s Guitar

This Day in Music Books-Publisher Publication date – November 4, 2021

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A question that should be asked, but rarely is asked, is how did The Beatles get records? The story of the “Cunard Yanks” is one that’s grown to mythical proportions in Liverpool and beyond.

The way it’s been told is that sailors from the families of Liverpool musicians brought back American records for the groups to learn. The story is partly true, as many Liverpool families had brothers, fathers, or uncles at sea who returned home with American records before they were released in the UK. In fact, the record that turned John Lennon on to rock ‘n’ roll was an imported “Long Tall Sally,” brought in from Holland.