Elanso

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Here’s another entry in our series on John Lennon’s Guitars. This time, Guild Guitars gets into the picture with a custom-made Starfire XII, hand-delivered to John. See previous entries in the series here:

• Part One: Gallotone Champion Acoustic John Lennon Guitar.
• Part Two: Hofner Club 40 Electric John Lennon Guitar.
• Part Three: 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri John Lennon Guitar.
• Part Four: 1962 Gibson J-160E John Lennon acoustic/electric.
• Part Five: 1964 Gibson J-160E John Lennon acoustic/electric.
• Part Six: 1964 Rickenbacker 325 Jetglo John Lennon Electric.
• Part Seven: 1964 Rickenbacker 325-12 Jetglo John Lennon Electric 12-string.
• Part Eight: 1964 Jose Ramirez A-1 John Lennon Classical Guitar.
• Part Nine: 1964 Rickenbacker 325 Fireglo John Lennon Electric.
• Part Ten: 1964 Framus 12-string Hootenanny John Lennon Acoustic.
• Part Eleven: 1965 Gretsch 6120 Hollow-Bodied John Lennon Electric.
• Part Twelve: 1965 Russian Acoustic John Lennon Guitar.
• Part Thirteen: 1961 Fender Stratocaster John Lennon Electric Guitar.
• Part Fourteen: 1965 Epiphone E230TD Casino John Lennon Electric.

In late August of 1966, Mark Dronge of Guild Guitars presented this one-of-a-kind guitar to John Lennon in New York.

“At Guild we had heard that The Beatles were going to conduct a press conference at the Warwick Hotel in New York. A friend of a friend was at that time a photographer for the Associated Press. He arranged for me to attend the interview. We had enough advance time to think out what might best represent Guild, and best appeal to George or Paul or John. The decision that my father, myself, and Carlo Greco came to was to build one guitar for John. We thought the guitar should be an electric, double cutaway. We would make it with the best flamed maple we could find, and the best pickups we could buy, which I believe were single-coil DeArmond 2000s. We thought the brown stain the most interesting color we produced. I do not remember if the fingerboard was ebony or dark rosewood. The day of the interview I somehow was allowed into the large conference room with the guitar and case. As the interview came to an end I took the guitar out of the case and made my way onto the platform where The Beatles had been sitting behind a long table. George thought the guitar was for him, and was annoyed when I passed him and presented the guitar to John, who seemed surprised and delighted.” - Mark Dronge of Guild Guitars

This guitar somehow wound up with Tony Cox, Yoko Ono’s first husband. Cox sold the guitar to the Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu, where it can be seen, along with a letter of authenticity.

History source: thecanteen.com

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