IF YOU WANT to imitate the sound of the Beatles by acquiring the exact same models and vintages of gear that they used, good luck. The guitar and amp models the Beatles played are some of the most collectible and expensive items on the vintage market today, especially items that match the same exact years, like their 1962 and ’64 Gibson J-160E acoustic-electrics, 1957 Gretsch Duo Jet, or a 1963 Rickenbacker 325. Similarly, vintage Vox tube amps from the Sixties fetch a pretty penny, and the hybrid solid-state/tube Vox models like the 7120 and UL730 are exceedingly rare, although fortunately the silverface Fender amps they used in the latter years are still somewhat reasonably priced.
Manufacturers often produce limited reproductions of the guitars the Beatles played, but usually these are expensive collector’s items aimed at boomers with large bank accounts. Occasionally an affordable run of instruments will emerge, particularly around notable anniversaries, but these items also get snatched up quickly.
With the exception of the rare Vox hybrid amps and most Rickenbacker guitars and
