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.[1]
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."[1] 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.[1] 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".[1]
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,"[1] 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.[1]
The following is a list of guitars that Presley owned or used for his performances and recordings.[1]
| Year | Guitar | Serial No. | Used | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.[2] | ||
| 1936 | Martin 000-18 | August 1954 – November 1954 | Purchased at O.K. Houck Piano Co. in Memphis for $79.50 (US$ in dollars)[3] | ||
| 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[4] 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[5] | ||
| 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[6] | |
| 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[7] | ||
| 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[8] | |
| 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 US$625,000 | ||
| 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 Elvis' Kenpo karate patch attached to honor his friend, Ed Parker, the founder of Kenpo karate.[9] | |
| 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. |
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).[10]
| Year | Film | Studio | Guitars | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Love Me Tender | Fox | Fox prop guitar | ||
| 1957 | Loving You | Paramount | Gibson J-45 Gibson J-200 | ||
| 1957 | Jailhouse Rock | MGM | Stella H929 Maton HG100 | ||
| 1958 | King Creole | Paramount | Gibson J-45 Gibson J-200 | ||
| 1960 | G.I. Blues | Paramount | Gibson J-45 Gibson J-200 Harmony H950 | ||
| 1960 | Flaming Star | Fox | Fox prop guitar | ||
| 1961 | Wild in the Country | Fox | Parlor style steel string | ||
| 1961 | Blue Hawaii | Paramount | Gibson J-45 Soprano ukulele | ||
| 1962 | Follow That Dream | UA | Old Kraftsman | ||
| 1962 | Kid Galahad | UA | Old Kraftsman | ||
| 1962 | Girls! Girls! Girls! | Paramount | Martin 0-17 Harmony H165 | ||
| 1963 | It Happened at the World's Fair | MGM | Gibson LG-1 | ||
| 1963 | Fun in Acapulco | Paramount | Harmony H950 Harmony H165 Classical guitar | ||
| 1964 | Viva Las Vegas | MGM | Gibson LG-1 Fender Stratocaster | ||
| 1964 | Kissin' Cousins | MGM | No guitar used | ||
| 1964 | Roustabout | Paramount | Harmony H950 | ||
| 1965 | Girl Happy | MGM | Gibson LG-1 Fender Telecaster Fender Precision Bass | ||
| 1965 | Tickle Me | Allied Artists | Gibson J-200 Classical guitar | ||
| 1965 | Harum Scarum | MGM | No guitar used | ||
| 1966 | Frankie and Johnny | UA | Harmony H929TG Stella Tenor | ||
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Paramount | Harmony H950 | ||
| 1966 | Spinout | MGM | Burns Double Six Fender Precision Bass Hoyer 12-String Gibson LG-1 Gibson EBS-1250 | ||
| 1967 | Easy Come, Easy Go | Paramount | Fender Precision Bass Gibson SG | ||
| 1967 | Double Trouble | MGM | 1960s Ampeg Baby Bass | ||
| 1967 | Clambake | UA | Classical guitar Fender Electric XII Fender 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 guitar Old Kraftsman Harmony H162 style acoustic |