Guitars were a major component of the "rock and roll" image created by Elvis Presley in the 1950s and 1960s, onstage and in film appearances.[1]
According to his first lead guitarist, Scotty Moore, Presley was not "an accomplished musician", yet he possessed "an uncanny and amazing sense of timing and rhythm."[1] In the early years of his career, Presley's rhythm guitar accompaniment played a major role in the sound of his early performances and recordings.[1] Moore noted that as Presley began to learn to move on stage and to work the audience with his physical performance, his guitar became more of a "prop".[1]
Presley was not known to treat his instruments gently. The lack of a microphone on his guitar in his early years contributed to the development of his "aggressive style in attempt to be heard,"[1] and his strumming style would frequently break strings during his performances. As his career progressed, he became even more aggressive toward his instruments, frequently tossing his guitar to Charlie Hodge, who sometimes failed to catch it. As well, the large belt buckles and jewelry Presley wore left their marks on most of his instruments.[1]
Performance guitars
The following is a list of guitars that Presley owned or used for his performances and recordings.[1]
This was Presley's first guitar, purchased at Tupelo Hardware Co. for $7.75 (US$121 in 2023 dollars[2]) on his eleventh birthday, January 8, 1946. He used it throughout his high school years and on his first Sun recording sessions.[3]
Purchased at Montgomery Ward in Memphis. The guitar was given to Hall of Fame harness horseman Delvin G. Miller May 28, 1964 and includes a typed and signed note from Elvis to Miller which he affixed to the inside of the instrument. It is now in a private collection.[citation needed]
1942
Martin D-18
80221
November 1954 – June 1955
Purchased at O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis, trading in his Martin 000-18[5] Sold for US$1,320,000 at a gottahaverockandroll auction on August 1, 2020
1953
Martin 00-21
1954 – 1960
Used by Elvis for performances during the mid 1950s[Note 1]
Purchased at O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis, first used on April 16, 1955 in Dallas, fitted with a custom made tooled leather cover with his name, appeared on the cover of Presley's first album[6][Note 2]
Purchased through O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis in October 1956, first used on October 11, 1956 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, used with a tooled leather cover on The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1957; made by Charles Underwood[7]
1950s
Isana Jazz
1958 – 1960
Purchased by Lamar Fike in Bad Nauheim, Germany, a handmade German S hole jazz guitar used by Presley while serving in the U.S. Army[8]
1960
Gibson J-200
A-32944
March 1960 – June 1968
Purchased through O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis for his March 20, 1960 Nashville recording sessions while his original Gibson J-200 (A-22937) was being refinished and repaired, shipped to Scotty Moore c/o Chet Atkins, used for the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special[9]
Borrowed from session player Al Casey for several segments of the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special. Sold on April 7, 2021 at a GWS auction for US$625,000
1963
Gibson J-200 Ebony
61952
Mid 1960s – 1976
This guitar was given to Presley during a Nashville recording session at Studio B in the mid-1960s. Played on stage at the Las Vegas Hilton during the 1970s, the guitar has Elvis' Kenpo karate patch attached to honor his friend, Ed Parker, the founder of Kenpo karate.[10][Note 3]
Borrowed from Scotty Moore for the live segments of the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special, purchased from Gibson in October 1963 for $237 (US$2,359 in 2023 dollars[2]).
Developed as a signature model by Gretsch for Chet Atkins, similar to the 1962 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman used by George Harrison for early Beatles performances and recordings
Given to audience member Mike Harris during a concert on July 24, 1975 in Asheville, North Carolina, saying, "This is yours. Hold on to that. Hopefully, it'll be valuable one day."
1968
Gibson J-200 Ebony
618195
March 1974 – July 1975
First used on March 1, 1974 in Tulsa, applied a Kenpo Karate decal to the body in September, thrown into the audience on July 15, 1975 at the Springfield Civic Center in Springfield, Massachusetts after breaking a string
The following is a list of "prop" guitars that Presley used on screen during musical numbers in his 31 theatrical films. These guitars were purchased by the studios, and in some cases, were identical to Presley's own performance guitars. The Gibson J-200 used in Loving You, King Creole, and G.I. Blues, for example, was identical to the Gibson J-200 he purchased in October 1956 (serial number A-22937).[11]
Classical guitar Old Kraftsman Harmony H162 style acoustic
Gallery
Martin D-28, The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show (1956)
Gibson EBS 1250, Spinout (1966)
Fender Coronado II, Speedway (1968)
Guild F-50, live performances (1976)
References
Notes
^The guitar, as well as a gold-plated Walther PPK handgun, was given to Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord backstage during Elvis's 1973 engagement at the Las Vegas Hilton. The instrument was later acquired from the estate of Jack Lord, and includes a letter from Joe Esposito, who retrieved the unique guitar from Graceland.
^Soon after purchasing the 1955 Martin D-28, Presley received a custom-made tooled leather cover with his name across the front, made by Marcus Van Story in the basement of O.K. Houck Piano Co. where he worked occasionally repairing pianos. Presley admired a similar one used by Hank Snow. One of the most famous photos of Presley's 1955 Martin D-28 with the leather cover appeared on his first album, Elvis Presley, which was released March 23, 1956. Known as the "tonsil photo", it was cropped from a larger photograph taken during a performance on July 31, 1955 in Tampa, Florida by William V. "Red" Robertson.
^In 1976, the Gibson J-200 Ebony was passed on to Presley's chief personal aide and Memphis Mafia member Marty Lacker at Graceland. Lacker was one of Presley's closest friends and served as the best man at his 1967 wedding in Las Vegas. Acquired directly from Marty Lacker, this guitar was formerly on display at the Elvis-a-Rama in Las Vegas, Nevada, for a number of years before being purchased in a private sale.[10]
^On March 16, 2003, a Gibson Dove Custom purportedly owned by Presley was auctioned in Los Angeles with documentation indicating, "Given by Presley's aunt Delta Mae Biggs to Don Wilson, 1977". The authenticity of the guitar has been questioned because the Grover Rotomatic tuners and the two screw truss rod cover do not correspond to photos of the guitar used by Presley. The guitar sold for $29,375.
