A Gretsch Story

July 15-21, 1961

The Beatles are back in the swing, appearing this weekend at Hoylake Hall (near Penny Lane) on Saturday the 15th and Blair Hall on Sunday.  Next week, they are doing their lunchtime sessions (M,W,F this week) at the Cavern.  During these, they will smoke, eat and drink tea, and kibitz with the customers from the stage.  Also, they will appear at Litherland Town Hall on Monday night, the Cavern on Wednesday night, St John's Hall on Thursday night and the Aintree Institute on Friday night.  Whew!

A modern reproduction of George's Duo Jet <<< Follow this link and watch the video (under Gallery)

But the big news is that George has found a new guitar, a guitar that would do as much to develop the Beatles sound as any. A semi-solid body Gretsch Duo Jet.  Beautiful, huh? He got is second hand from a seaman, named Ivan Hayward, who bought it in America, where it was made.  George had heard about the available guitar through the Merseyside grapevine, saw his chance and took it.  There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.  Wm Shakespeare