Was watching a doco on Annie Leibowitz, while they were talking about the John Lennon rolling stone cover in 1980, a photo flashed up of John Lennon sitting on a bed during the late 70's playing a candy apple red strat with a matching headstock.

Has anyone seen this before?

John Lennon's name is associated with the Epiphone Casino and the Rickenbacker 325.

Both John and George acquired their Fender Stratocasters in 1965 for studio use.

John's Strat was an early-to-mid-1960s Sonic Blue model (pictured below). Of course he had another one in Candy Apple Red with a matching headstock. This CAR Strat later inspired Eric Clapton, who played a similar guitar with a Roland MIDI pickup in the mid-1980s.



In addition to his psychedelic 1961 "Rocky" guitar, George used an Antigua Burst Strat with a 50's maple neck during the "Concert for Bangladesh" in the 1970s (Eric Clapton is pictured far right with a Gibson Byrdland).



Being a long-time Beatle fan, Eric Clapton used a Candy Apple Red Roland G-505 Strat-style MIDI guitar controller with a matching headstock in 1984/85. This guitar came with original black contour hardshell case with black plush lining and Lee Dickson's hand-written adhesive paper label Roland Synth GTR C. Apple #K 824044; and a GR 700 guitar synthesizer floor unit (serial no. 400401), and a PG 200 unit (serial no.314451). Clapton sold this synth guitar controller for a charity auction at Christies in 1999 for $29,000. This Roland synth controller went for $36,000 at the Rock ‘n’ Roll / Hollywood Auction presented by the London-based Cooper Owen auction house in association with Barrett-Jackson of Scottsdale, Arizona in January 15, 2007.

The stage-shot illustration shows Eric playing this Roland G-505 guitar synthesizer during the BEHIND THE SUN tour at Erwin Events Center, Austin, Texas in April 11, 1985.



source: http://beatles.ru

PS: I've found a pic of John's CAR Strat, though it's not the Rolling Stone cover you're looking for. Hope this info helps.

wow, is that shot of the beatles gear from 64? that probably is the same strat, small matching headstock just like the color picture in the 70's from the documentary!!!

wow those photos are incredible! I haven't seen these before and I am a big.. huge beatle fan! Though I am a strat fan too, i very grateful you guys shared this photos! thanks!

Are you also a Slowhand fan? Eric covered many of the Beatles' repertoire during his recent world tours, including "Isn't It A Pity?" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". He even played a blistering, KILLER guitar solo on "Taxman" during his 1991 Japanese tour with George Harrison!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgyk5yTVqfY

Slowhand, you mean the guy who has this huge collections of tabs?! Yeah, i downloaded most of the Beatles tabs from him

If that's the same guy, yeah... im a fan too!

Is this the pic your talking about?
I knew that I've seen that before, but I just had to find it.

Slowhand = clapton

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My Rig: Guitar into Pedals then into Amps and out into Speakers.

There is also his Gibson Les Paul Junior. Gibson even has a sig model.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Here's Paul with a southpaw '66 Jazz Bass (pic 1) and an upside-down '64 Esquire (pic 2):

That picture of George from the concert for bangladesh, who is that behind his elbow playing the hollow body? And what song did he solo on for that concert? (he wasn't exactly in top form that day).

It's Eric Clapton, my boy!

Eric has not only used his Byrdland on that concert. "Brownie" makes him always recognizable, despite his long hair and moustache.

yes tha exact pic! so it looks like that strat has swapped tuners & gold hardware - could this be the same strat pictured in black & white in 1964 above? were candy apple red strats with matching headstocks available in great britan by then?

it looks to have a transition fender logo, so could it be a late '65 model? the 12th fret markers indicate that it looks vintage, not reissue.