Both
Lennon and Harrison acquired Fender Stratocasters in 1965,
and used them extensively throughout the recording of Rubber
Soul.
The quitar solo on Nowhere Man, for instance, was played by
John and George play in unison on Fender Stratocasters. It
is also possible that the Beatles used Fenders on the recording
of the Help! album, however there is no hard evidence to support
this theory. Lennon and Harrison nevertheless used the Fender
Stratocasters during the Sgt. Pepper sessions.
Converted to US curreny, a new Strat in 1965 would have cost
around $500 or about $3,400 in today's money.
In 1967, when the Beatles performed All You Need Is Love on
a worldwide broadcast, George Harrison played his Stratocaster
which by then had been painted in psychedelic colours. The
Harrison Estate still owns this guitar today.
Fender Esquire
Paul McCartney used this guitar briefly during the Sgt. Pepper
sessions. He switched between the Fender Equire and his Epiphone
Casino when recording the solos for Good Morning Good Morning
and Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite.
