The ShadowMusic Web Community

This is a fantastic website I've only recently discovered with photos and information about all the guitars used by the Beatles. It's well worth a visit if you haven't seen it before.
http://www.thecanteen.com/fabguitars.html
best wishes
Rosemary

Great site!!
Many thanks Rosemary, and a Happy Christmas to you and yours.

PS. Your guitar playing is coming on VERY well, keep it up!!

I'd forgotten about that website, which is as good as you say it is, Rosemary.

On the John Lennon guitars section, there is a nostalgic picture of the two six-string Beatles being presented with their 1962 Gibson J-160E electric jumbos at Rushworth & Dreaper's store in Whitechapel, Liverpool. The man doing the handover is the manager of the guitar department, the late Bob Hobbs. Bob was one of two semi-legendary guitar department managers at Liverpool music stores, the other being the Hessy's equivalent, Jim Gretty.

Bob stayed with Rushworth's - on a pittance - for a couple of decades until 1969. It was he who had the relationship with the Beatles and with Brian Epstein. Some of the tales he could have told...

After he left, Rushworth's peevishly replaced the big in-store handover photo of Bob, John and George with one of MD James Rushworth, John and George doing the same thing (thereby proving that the J-160E handover was a staged affair). Some years ago, I was able to identify Bob (whom I was proud to call a friend) for that Beatles guitar website. Bob was a great jazz guitarist who had learned his craft in the 1930s - he could play just like Django - on a Gibson ES-335.

Great site. Thanks for the link.

JN

Glad you all liked the website and thanks for your encouraging words, Paul.
Happy Christmas
Rosemary

Just read JimN's comments mentioning Rushworth & Draper's in Liverpool. I have fond memories of that shop............
Back in 1962 or'63 (I was 13 or 14) I remember a Fiesta Red, Rosewood board Strat, having pride of place in one of their windows. It was there for what seemed ages (well it was 168 guineas!....a lot of money for a scouser in those days!). My mum & dad would occasionally take me with them to the Chanticleer Chinese reataurant in Tarleton Street (near that great toy shop, Hobbies) and would park our Singer Gazelle at the back of Rushworth's. After we'd eaten, they'd sit in the car having a cigarette, whilst I looked longingly through Rushworth's windows............especially at THAT guitar.

I recall Jim Gretty at Hessy's as well. There was another salesman called Samuelson (forget his first name). He sold me a new, AC30 'Bass' for £115 guineas, back in '63/64. Turned up at the shop, with a school mate from Rock Ferry High, both in our uniforms and mandatory caps (!) and he was incredulous when I brought out this wad of notes and asked to buy the amp! Unbeknown (for a short while at least!) to my parents, I'd withdrawn the money from savings that had been bequeathed to me from a grandparent.

My mate and I lugged this weighty beast, all the way from Hessy's, onto the underground at James Street, through to Hamilton Square. We were knackered! Fortunately, I had a bit of money left, so we got in a cab for the final part of our journey to my mate's home in Woodchurch, where the amp. was to be secretly 'stashed'.

Great days..........
Stephen.

What an interesting site! I've just spent so much time on it that my coffee got very cold, Thanks for the link.