When it comes to music, it’s rare to bring people together with the same enthusiasm and shared admiration as with the Beatles. Over the decades, the English band has become the ultimate reference, capable of innovating and reshaping music itself. In just a few short years, they turned their name into the foundation of a cultural and sonic revolution. The Beatles’ instruments are as fascinating to study as they are to hear. Paul, John, and George gave each of their guitars a precise role, using them as true creative tools. Finding one of these instruments today is a rare opportunity to step into their creative world, their passion — and to feel just a little closer to genius.
This Selmer Maccaferri is an acoustic guitar with an extraordinary history and exquisite craftsmanship. Built in France in the 1930s, bought by English musician Joe Brown in Scotland in 1963, and played for years by George Harrison, this guitar stands as a rare witness to a deep and enduring friendship: that of Joe Brown and George Harrison.
Over time, Joe Brown and George Harrison built an unbreakable bond. A major figure of the 1960s music scene, Joe was playing for some of the biggest names who came over from the U.S. — Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and Bob Dylan. George, meanwhile, was part of a band about to explode and change the world: the Beatles. But in 1962, it was actually the Beatles who opened for Joe Brown at a concert in New Brighton. George Harrison was already an admirer of his senior’s work, and years later, when Joe moved nearby, George finally called him and invited him to play guitar at his home. From then on, they shared a sincere and touching friendship, playing guitar or ukulele together several times a week, and exchanging musical discoveries. George Harrison would even become Joe Brown’s best man.
The story of this guitar beautifully reflects their connection. After buying it in 1963 in Glasgow, Joe Brown decided to give it to George Harrison, who didn’t own one at the time. A great admirer of Django Reinhardt, George played it extensively. The guitar appears in several photos taken at Friar Park and in the film Shanghai Surprise produced by George Harrison, in which he appears alongside the movie’s two stars, Madonna and Sean Penn. According to Joe Brown, George probably played the instrument more in just a few years than he did in several decades. Shortly before his passing, George returned the guitar to Joe, feeling it belonged with him. Joe Brown barely played it again after his dear friend was gone.
It was Joe Brown who had the honor of closing the tribute concert for George Harrison with a moving ukulele performance at the Royal Albert Hall — a moment to remember his friend, who to him was so much more than just a member of the Beatles. This 1932 Selmer Maccaferri is not only a remarkable instrument and a rare piece of Gypsy jazz guitar history, but also a living testimony to a powerful friendship between two icons of English music.
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