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Rating: 
Summary: Beatles Gear
Review:
This is one fine book, many very good pictures, lots of information.
May not be 100% complete as all gear used but it covers the most important.
Could have had more coverage on Sir Pauls bass but there is some.
I'm satisified with it, goes well with my collection.
Ernie
Rating:
Summary: Fab Gear, Fab Book
Review: Andy Babiuk really knows what he's talking about in this wonderful book. He explains the instruments that the Beatles used and how they changed pop music as we know it. Not only is it packed with information, the book has some great pictures. It's a perfect compliment to the Beatles Anthology because it is so in-depth and wonderful.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, interesting, but a few problems...
Review: Andy Babiuk's "Beatles Gear..." is a great reference for the Beatles completist. I keep it alongside "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" as a visual diary of those times and how great their impact was. As a home recording guitarist, I am humbled that there are so many things I take for granted today that were pioneered then. The book is meticulous in detail but Mr. Babiuk's occasional editorializing (He states that Mal Evans was murdered, for example) detracts a bit from the real reason I bought this book in the first place. Beautiful pictures of some beautiful (and some not so beautiful) instruments and a treasure for any Beatles fan.
Rating:
Summary: It's gear! It's fab!
Review: For the true Beatles fanatic (and is there any other kind?) comes this look at the specific guitars, electric keyboards and organs, effects pedals, drums and amps used by the Liverpool lads. The author is a musician himself, from the retro-rific Chesterfield Kings, and his interest in the Beatles "sound" led to extensive research into their original instruments... The topic may seem a little goofy at first, but after a bit of browsing, this handsome coffeetable book gets pretty engrossing. After all, what could be more iconic in rocknroll culture than a glimpse at the very Fenders, Gibsons and Hammonds from which so many pop hits would emanate. Babiuk also parallels the musical growth of the band to their acquisition of various instruments -- when John or George got a new guitar, it was often to learn a new performance style. A nerdy but neat look at the fab toys of out favorite moptop combo.
Rating:
Summary: Beyond gear!
Review: I love guitars. And that's putting it mildly. I worship guitars. I eat, sleep, and breath guitars... if that makes sense. And, in fact, my dream guitar would be the 1964 black Rickenbacker 325 which John Lennon bought and was his favorite guitar for nearly three years. So, when I found this book, I absolutely had to have it. I spent weeks reading it (it's very large, long, and in-depth), but I loved every minute of it. The instruments are so amazing, from the famours Hofner bass, to the little known electric sitars presented to John and George way back when. This book even turned me on to recording equipment and amplifiers, which I had previously considered the lesser parts of making music. I was wrong. They are just as fascinating and important as guitars and drums. Of course, in order to enjoy this book, you really need to like what you're reading about. I wouldn't reccomend this for people who want to learn about the Beatles themselves. This book is about Beatle equipment and how they used it, not about the Beatles personal lives, although one could hardly mistake the subject of this book from the title and cover. A wonderful, detailed book with beautiful glossy photos and more information than you could wish for on everything from guitar volume knobs to bass drum pedals. A must for every rock music fanatic.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!!!
Review: My favorite book on The Beatles has always been "The Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn. It has been relaced, now - however remaining a close 2nd - by "Beatles Gear"! This book is for those like me who are not only Beatles enthusiasts, but also musicians who want to know every little bit of info (or, as much info as they can get) on all the instruments, and amps, and drums, etc. that the Beatles used during their career. Being a huge Beatle fan (and musician, as stated already), I thought I had a pretty decent knowledge of their guitars they used. Well..... how little I actually DID know! I learned a few things, already, after only skimming through the book for the first time...... like that George had TWO Gretsch Country Gents that look similar but are different in their switch configurations. Look at the photos provided of George onstage at different shows, and lo and behold! Two different Country Gents! Cool! Other invaluable bits of info for the Beatle fan who must know "everything".... Ringo had three different Ludwig drum sets - with which five different "The Beatles" logo drum heads were used on the kick drum over the few years they toured. Amazing! We all know Paul has had two Hofner violin basses - a '61 and a '63 - of which the '63 model became his main axe..... and we know John had two Rick 325's, the first of which he had painted black, and the second that was black from the start. But, I didn't know he had a 12-string version of his famous black 325! The book is full of great photos of the actual guitars bought and used by John, Paul, and George... and, where an actual guitar could not be located for photographing, an exact model is provided. Equally important, and covered as extensively as the guitars and drums, are the amplifiers.... and the keyboards, as well. I could go on and on, but it would be more fun for you to learn for yourselves! Buy this book!!! I don't know why it took me so long to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!!!
Review: My favorite book on The Beatles has always been "The Recording Sessions" by Mark Lewisohn. It has been relaced, now - however remaining a close 2nd - by "Beatles Gear"! This book is for those like me who are not only Beatles enthusiasts, but also musicians who want to know every little bit of info (or, as much info as they can get) on all the instruments, and amps, and drums, etc. that the Beatles used during their career. Being a huge Beatle fan (and musician, as stated already), I thought I had a pretty decent knowledge of their guitars they used. Well..... how little I actually DID know! I learned a few things, already, after only skimming through the book for the first time...... like that George had TWO Gretsch Country Gents that look similar but are different in their switch configurations. Look at the photos provided of George onstage at different shows, and lo and behold! Two different Country Gents! Cool! Other invaluable bits of info for the Beatle fan who must know "everything".... Ringo had three different Ludwig drum sets - with which five different "The Beatles" logo drum heads were used on the kick drum over the few years they toured. Amazing! We all know Paul has had two Hofner violin basses - a '61 and a '63 - of which the '63 model became his main axe..... and we know John had two Rick 325's, the first of which he had painted black, and the second that was black from the start. But, I didn't know he had a 12-string version of his famous black 325! The book is full of great photos of the actual guitars bought and used by John, Paul, and George... and, where an actual guitar could not be located for photographing, an exact model is provided. Equally important, and covered as extensively as the guitars and drums, are the amplifiers.... and the keyboards, as well. I could go on and on, but it would be more fun for you to learn for yourselves! Buy this book!!! I don't know why it took me so long to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: It's never enough is it?
Review: The Beatles are a touchstone for many of our lives. The music seems impossible and miraculous. With the still recent release of their demos and outtakes, we have seen that there was a method to the mad genius of their creative 14-year partnership, and mere 7 year recording period. We want to know how they did it and, that tired interview question, "what it was *like"... We want to play the instruments they played to see if there might be any talent in the tool. You'd be shocked at how many Beatle Nerds are walking around out there, many living in the closet, and we want to be able to recite some pretty minute details about how the greatest recordings of the 20th century came to be. This collection features some luscious and rare photos and some satisfying detailed descriptions and back-story. But it is never enough for the ravenous Beatle Backers. Here in my hometown of Los Angeles, CA, many a Beatle-phile knows great Beatle truths that have yet to find their way to print. For instance we know that the Beatles used VOX amps, but did you know that for every major concert, there were Vox technicians backstage to fix or replace these notoriously cranky boxes? We get a hint of that in this book... but do we know which Vox was used on "Paperback Writer"? Which songs got the like-sounding Selmer amp instead? And what of the recording process itself? Which mics were used? What kind of board? What kind of limiters? Lenny Kravits makes a detailed study of these facts in his career of producing his paint-by-numbers deconstructed classic rock. He is famous for knowing and employing the recording secrets to sonically pleasing effect. He actually owns one of the consoles the Fabs recorded with! I want to know what he and his team knows. Babuik's book doesn't get that deep. And for most readers that is probably a mercifully good thing. But from my research, this is only the first in what will probably be an ongoing lineage of increasingly detailed "GEAR GUIDES"... This one is a must for your collection, but be forewarned, it won't be the last, because for the ever-increasing Beatle masses, it's never enough. Beatle Gear will prove to be an "Overview" in coming years as we get more and more of the story. I think that's "FAB"... now buy "BEATLES GEAR" and enjoy.
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