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.
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." 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. 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".
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," 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.
Performance guitars The following is a list of guitars that Presley owned or used for his performances and recordings. YearGuitarSerial No.UsedNotes 1940s Kay (Tupelo Hardware) January 1946 – August 1954 This was Presley's first guitar, purchased at Tupelo Hardware Co. for $7.75 (US$ in dollars) on his eleventh birthday, January 8, 1946. He used it throughout his high school years and on his first Sun recording sessions. 1936 Martin 000–18 August 1954 – November 1954 Purchased at O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis for $79.50 (US$ in dollars) 1939 Recording King 1954 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. 1942 Martin D-18 80221 November 1954 – June 1955 Purchased at O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis, trading in his Martin 000-18 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 1955 Martin D-28 April 1955 – October 1956 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 1956 Gibson J-200 A-22937 October 1956 – November 1970 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 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 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 1968 Hagström Viking II June 1968 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 $938,000, including buyer's fees (Aug 27, 2022) 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 Presley's Kenpo karate patch attached to honor his friend, Ed Parker, the founder of Kenpo karate. 1963 Gibson Super 400 62713 June 1968 Borrowed from Scotty Moore for the live segments of the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special, purchased from Gibson in October 1963 for $237 (US$ in dollars). 1966 Gretsch Country Gentleman 80736 February 1970 – March 1970 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 1969 Gibson Dove Ebony 539461 November 1971 – September 1973,July 1975 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 1970s Gibson Dove Custom A004051 August 1975 – April 1976 First used on August 18, 1975, at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, used exclusively on subsequent tours through April 27, 1976 1974 Guild F-50 96648 May 1976 – September 1976 First used on May 27, 1976, at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. 1976 Martin D-35 377704 October 1976 – February 1977 1975 Martin D-28 369735 February 1977 – June 1977 Used in his final live performance in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 26, 1977.
Film guitars 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).
YearFilmStudioGuitarsNotes 1956 Love Me Tender Fox Fox prop guitar 1957 Loving You Paramount Gibson J-45Gibson J-200 1957 Jailhouse Rock MGM Stella H929Maton HG100 1958 King Creole Paramount Gibson J-45Gibson J-200 1960 G.I. Blues Paramount Gibson J-45Gibson J-200Harmony H950 1960 Flaming Star Fox Fox prop guitar 1961 Wild in the Country Fox Parlor style steel string 1961 Blue Hawaii Paramount Gibson J-45Soprano ukulele 1962 Follow That Dream UA Old Kraftsman 1962 Kid Galahad UA Old Kraftsman 1962 Girls! Girls! Girls! Paramount Martin 0–17Harmony H165 1963 It Happened at the World's Fair MGM Gibson LG-1 1963 Fun in Acapulco Paramount Harmony H950Harmony H165Classical guitar 1964 Viva Las Vegas MGM Gibson LG-1Fender Stratocaster 1964 Kissin' Cousins MGM No guitar used 1964 Roustabout Paramount Harmony H950 1965 Girl Happy MGM Gibson LG-1Fender TelecasterFender Precision Bass 1965 Tickle Me Allied Artists Gibson J-200Classical guitar 1965 Harum Scarum MGM No guitar used 1966 Frankie and Johnny UA Harmony H929TGStella Tenor 1966 Paradise, Hawaiian Style Paramount Harmony H950 1966 Spinout MGM Burns Double SixFender Precision BassHoyer 12-StringGibson LG-1Gibson EBS-1250 1967 Easy Come, Easy Go Paramount Fender Precision BassGibson SG 1967 Double Trouble MGM 1960s Ampeg Baby Bass 1967 Clambake UA Classical guitarFender Electric XIIFender Wildwood VI 1968 Stay Away, Joe MGM No guitar used 1968 Speedway MGM Fender Coronado II 1968 Live a Little, Love a Little MGM Gibson LG-1 1969 Charro! National General No guitar used 1969 The Trouble with Girls MGM Kay dreadnought 1969 Change of Habit UA Classical guitarOld KraftsmanHarmony H162 style acoustic
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