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Explore George Harrison's Guitars

Peter Belanger
/
Courtesy of the Harrison Estate

George Harrison wasn't the flashiest, craftiest guitarist of his day, just the one everyone loved. His sound always served the songs, just enough to make them better, but never enough to eclipse the writing of Lennon or McCartney or even his own tunes.

Peter Belanger / Courtesy of the Harrison Estate
/
Courtesy of the Harrison Estate

A new app for the iPad showcases Harrison's collection of guitars. It features audio and video recordings of the former Beatle talking about and demonstrating the sound of his instruments. You can see 360-degree views of the guitars in his collection, including the infamous Rickenbacker 12-string used on "A Hard Day's Night" and "Ticket to Ride."

There's also the famous Black Gretsch Duo Jet, George's first real electric guitar. It's the instrument he played in the early days of The Beatles in Liverpool's Cavern Club, night after night in Hamburg and eventually gave it to artist/musician Klaus Voorman. He eventually got it back from Voorman and had it put back into it's original condition

For the true geek, there's a catalog of his guitars and a list of songs each one is played on. You'll also find performances and appreciations of Harrison by other artists, including guitarists Ben Harper, Mike Campbell and Josh Homme, who give insights to the tone and feel of the guitars and Harrison's performances. George's son Dhani also talks with Conan O'Brien, a bit of a guitar geek himself, about these unique instruments.

The app is out today, for a penny shy of ten dollars.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.