Specific instruments or gear identified
The Moog synthesizer first appears on a Beatles record on 'Because' (1969).
| # | Value | Songs | % of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EMI REDD.51 console Late-1950s valve mixing console used at EMI Abbey Road through 1968. | 152 | 10.7% |
| 2 | Ludwig Super Classic Ringo Starr's 22-inch Ludwig Super Classic in Black Oyster Pearl finish, his main kit from May 1964. | 109 | 7.6% |
| 3 | Hofner 500/1 McCartney's iconic violin-shaped Höfner 500/1 bass – the visual symbol of the early Merseybeat Beatles | 93 | 6.5% |
| 4 | Rickenbacker 4001S McCartney's Rickenbacker 4001S bass – its bright, punchy, trebly tone defines the mid-period Beatles sound | 86 | 6.0% |
| 5 | Studer J37 4-track recorder Four-track tape machine – the Beatles' standard recording machine 1965-68. | 78 | 5.5% |
| 6 | Gibson J-160E Acoustic guitar with built-in pickup – Lennon and Harrison's main acoustic 1962-64. | 66 | 4.6% |
| 7 | Epiphone Casino ES-230TD The semi-hollow Epiphone Casino electric guitar played by all three guitarists in the later period | 55 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Sonic Blue Fender Stratocaster Three-pickup contoured-body electric guitar. | 44 | 3.1% |
| 9 | Rickenbacker 325 Lennon's three-quarter-scale solid-body electric guitar of the early 60s. | 44 | 3.1% |
| 10 | EMI REDD.37 console EMI's REDD.37 valve mixing console, in Abbey Road's studios until 1964. | 42 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Telefunken M10 4-track recorder Telefunken's four-track studio tape recorder, used at Abbey Road in the mid-1960s. | 42 | 2.9% |
| 12 | Ludwig Hollywood Maple Five-piece Ludwig drum kit in maple finish – Ringo's primary kit from 1967 onwards. | 38 | 2.7% |
| 13 | 3M M23 8-track recorder American eight-track tape machine – used at EMI from late 1968. | 34 | 2.4% |
| 14 | EMI BTR2 twin-track recorder EMI's valve British Tape Recorder, the two-track machine used at Abbey Road in the early 1960s. | 33 | 2.3% |
| 15 | Ludwig Downbeat Ringo Starr's first Ludwig kit, a 20-inch Downbeat in Black Oyster Pearl finish, bought in May 1963. | 32 | 2.2% |
| 16 | Steinway Vertegrand Abbey Road's upright Steinway piano (the 'Mrs Mills' piano). | 32 | 2.2% |
| 17 | Hamburg Steinway The Steinway baby grand kept in EMI's Studio Two, played on many of the group's piano parts. | 32 | 2.2% |
| 18 | Hammond RT-3 The Hammond B-3 tonewheel organ, typically routed through a Leslie rotating speaker cabinet | 28 | 2.0% |
| 19 | Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman Harrison's main hollow-body electric guitar of the mid-60s. | 25 | 1.8% |
| 20 | Gretsch 6119 Tennessean Hollow-body electric guitar played by Harrison. | 25 | 1.8% |
| 21 | Vox AC30 British 30-watt valve combo amplifier – the Beatles' primary stage and studio amp through the mid-60s. | 24 | 1.7% |
| 22 | Leslie speaker Rotating-speaker cabinet originally built for Hammond organs, used widely on Beatles vocals and guitar. | 20 | 1.4% |
| 23 | EMI TG12345 console EMI's first solid-state mixing console, installed at Abbey Road in 1968. | 19 | 1.3% |
| 24 | Fender Rosewood Telecaster Solid rosewood-bodied electric guitar – Harrison's main guitar through 1969. | 19 | 1.3% |
| 25 | Premier Mahogany Duroplastic Ringo Starr's pre-Ludwig Premier kit in mahogany Duroplastic finish, used on the earliest EMI sessions. | 16 | 1.1% |
| 26 | Martin D-28 Large-bodied dreadnought acoustic guitar with a powerful low end. | 16 | 1.1% |
| 27 | Rickenbacker 360/12 Twelve-string semi-hollow electric guitar central to A Hard Day's Night. | 13 | 0.9% |
| 28 | Gretsch Duo Jet Hollow-body electric guitar with mahogany construction – Harrison's first quality guitar. | 13 | 0.9% |
| 29 | Gibson Les Paul Standard Solid-body humbucker electric guitar with sustain-rich tone. | 12 | 0.8% |
| 30 | Challen tack piano Upright piano with tacks set in the hammers for a tinny honky-tonk sound. | 12 | 0.8% |
| 31 | Gibson J-200 Large-bodied acoustic guitar with a powerful bass-rich tone. | 11 | 0.8% |
| 32 | Hohner Pianet Hohner electromechanical reed piano with thinner, reedier tone than a Rhodes. | 11 | 0.8% |
| 33 | Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass: a slim-necked electric bass with two single-coil pickups and a bright, punchy tone. | 10 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Gibson SG The Gibson SG: a lightweight solid-body electric guitar with a thin double-cutaway body and a biting tone. | 9 | 0.6% |
| 35 | Framus Hootenanny Twelve-string acoustic guitar – John Lennon's instrument on early 1965 sessions. | 8 | 0.6% |
| 36 | Jose Ramirez classical Spanish concert classical guitar. | 8 | 0.6% |
| 37 | Hammond L-100 Hammond's compact spinet organ, a smaller drawbar instrument than the studio's RT-3 console model. | 7 | 0.5% |
| 38 | Fender Bass VI A six-string bass guitar providing a broader harmonic and melodic range than a standard four-string | 7 | 0.5% |
| 39 | Sound Techniques console The Sound Techniques-built mixing console at Trident Studios. | 7 | 0.5% |
| 40 | Fender Rhodes Electromechanical tine piano with a bell-like sustained tone. | 7 | 0.5% |
| 41 | Fender Esquire Single-pickup version of the Fender Telecaster electric guitar. | 6 | 0.4% |
| 42 | Mellotron Mark II Polyphonic tape-replay keyboard with flute, strings, and brass voices. | 6 | 0.4% |
| 43 | EMI BTR3 twin-track recorder A later EMI valve British Tape Recorder used at Abbey Road. | 5 | 0.4% |
| 44 | Moog IIIp The portable version of the Moog modular synthesizer. | 5 | 0.4% |
| 45 | Trident 8-track recorder The eight-track tape machine at Trident Studios. | 5 | 0.4% |
| 46 | Epiphone Texan FT-79 McCartney's Epiphone Texan FT-79 flat-top acoustic guitar, used on Yesterday and other recordings. | 4 | 0.3% |
| 47 | Blüthner grand piano German concert grand piano installed at EMI Abbey Road. | 4 | 0.3% |
| 48 | Bechstein grand piano The Trident Studios house piano Paul McCartney played | 4 | 0.3% |
| 49 | Hohner Chromonica The C chromatic John Lennon played; the source puts a chromatic on all four | 4 | 0.3% |
| 50 | Steinway Grand A full-size Steinway concert grand piano, used at EMI for the more formal piano parts. | 3 | 0.2% |
| 51 | Mannborg harmonium A reed harmonium made by Mannborg. | 3 | 0.2% |
| 52 | Baldwin Satin Ebony Grand A Baldwin grand piano from the studio's own stock. | 3 | 0.2% |
| 53 | Burns Nu-Sonic A short-scale bass built by the British maker Burns of London in the mid-1960s. | 3 | 0.2% |
| 54 | Hammond C-3 Hammond's church-style console organ, the tonewheel instrument usually paired with a Leslie cabinet. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 55 | Bartell fretless guitar Fretless electric guitar built by Paul Barth – used by George Harrison on Indian-flavoured tracks. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 56 | Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins Nashville Gretsch hollow-body electric guitar from the Chet Atkins line. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 57 | Vox Continental Transistor combo organ with distinctive reedy tone, used widely in 1960s rock. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 58 | Rickenbacker 425 Solid-body single-pickup electric guitar – George Harrison's first Rickenbacker. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 59 | Fender Bassman American 50-watt valve bass amplifier, used by the Beatles for both bass and guitar. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 60 | Schiedmayer celesta | 2 | 0.1% |
| 61 | Fender Twin Reverb American 85-watt valve guitar amplifier with built-in spring reverb. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 62 | Ampex AG-440 4-track recorder Ampex professional multitrack tape recorder used at some outside studios. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 63 | Baldwin harpsichord Electric harpsichord with built-in amplification. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 64 | Lowrey Heritage Deluxe DSO-1 American spinet electronic organ – McCartney's instrument on 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.' | 2 | 0.1% |
| 65 | Hohner Echo Vamper | 2 | 0.1% |
| 66 | Neve 8078 console The analogue desk at McCartney's Hog Hill Mill studio, where the reunion singles were mixed. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 67 | Olympic custom console The custom-built mixing console at Olympic Sound Studios. | 2 | 0.1% |
| 68 | Hofner 5140 Hawaiian Standard A lap steel guitar, played across the lap with a slide rather than fretted. | 1 | 0.1% |
| 69 | Bill Black double bass The upright bass Bill Black played on Elvis Presley's 'Heartbreak Hotel'. Linda McCartney bought it for Paul in the late 1970s, and he played it on the 1995 reunion single. | 1 | 0.1% |
| 70 | Rickenbacker 325/12 The twelve-string version of Lennon's Rickenbacker, a rarity on record. | 1 | 0.1% |
| 71 | Challen blond-wood spinet A small blond-wood Challen upright piano, distinct from the tack-treated Challen used elsewhere at Abbey Road. | 1 | 0.1% |
| 72 | Hammond M-102 A compact spinet model of the Hammond tonewheel organ. | 1 | 0.1% |
Software
Universal Audio (UAD) Plugins
UAD
Book
Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four's Instruments, from Stage to Studio
Andy Babiuk
Software
Waves Abbey Road REDD Console
Waves Audio
affiliate link – supports this wiki