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Harrison’s love affair with the Rosewood Telecaster was short-lived. The first Rosewood Telecaster production models released later in 1969 featured similar solid construction to Harrison’s prototype, but eventually Fender adopted a chambered design to partially compensate for the excess weight. Ironically, Rossmeisl’s most recent design for Fender preceding the Rosewood Telecaster was the Telecaster Thinline, which was developed primarily as a lightweight alternative to the Telecaster. The high density of the rosewood material also resulted in a total weight exceeding 10 pounds. A clear satin finish preserved the rosewood’s natural grain pattern and root beer brown color. The biggest differences were the two-piece rosewood neck and the body construction, which consisted of individual two-piece top and back slabs of Indian rosewood with a thin, contrasting layer of maple in between. The Fender Rosewood Telecaster was not a particularly radical departure from the standard Telecaster design. Interestingly, Rossmeisl already had an indirect relationship with the Beatles through his previous association with Rickenbacker, where he designed the body shapes and styles for the 325 and 360/12 guitars and 4001 bass played by Lennon, Harrison and McCartney, respectively, although Rossmeisl left Rickenbacker in 1962 before the onset of Beatlemania. The best example of each model was to be selected and given to the respective artists, although Hendrix died before Fender could arrange the guitar’s delivery to him, a few months after Fender completed the Strat prototype in April 1970. (Image credit: Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)
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Both were designed and built by Roger Rossmeisl and Philip Kubicki, who made two prototypes of each. The Rosewood Telecaster was part of a promotional “care package” that Fender provided to the Beatles, which also included a Bass VI, Jazz Bass, Bassman and Twin Reverb amps, Rhodes electric pianos and a PA system, although the Tele arrived later, occupying a seat on a cross-Atlantic flight in December 1968.įender’s director of sales, Don Randall, previously met with Paul McCartney and John Lennon at Apple Corps during July 1968 hoping to land an official endorsement from the Beatles, and, encouraged by their positive response, he decided to sweeten the deal by giving a special instrument to the band’s lead guitarist.įender had already planned to introduce new Telecaster and Stratocaster models constructed of rosewood, and Randall thought that presenting a prototype of the Tele to Harrison and a prototype of the Strat to Jimi Hendrix would help promote the new models. Harrison played this Tele on several latter-day Beatles favorites, including Get Back, Don’t Let Me Down, I’ve Got a Feeling and Let It Be (single version). In addition to its usage at that performance, this Telecaster also played a prominent role during the Get Back sessions in January 1969 and the Abbey Road sessions that took place from February through August 1969. George Harrison played this Fender Rosewood Telecaster for only about a year, but because it was the instrument he played during the Beatles’ final live performance on January 30, 1969, on the rooftop of the Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row in London, it has become an iconic Beatles guitar.
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(Image credit: Walt Disney Studios/YouTube)