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Solo Beatles Studios

A research project about the solo era Beatles studios. Formerly Hog Hill Mill Blog.

09/16/2026

Paul McCartney with the Gibson The Everly Brothers J-180 acoustic guitar that is now on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Wings exhibit. This photo was used extensively to promote the The Paul McCartney World Tour in 1989-1990. Photo 2 is a closeup of the J-180 at the R&RHOF.

Paul purchased the J-180 second-hand in 1972 at Top Gear, one of the famous Denmark Street guitar shops Paul loved to frequent. About a decade after Gibson ceased production of the J-180, the Everly Brothers approached luthier Robert Steinegger to build an updated version of the guitar which became the Steinegger Ike Everly. Phil Everly gifted Paul Ike Everly #29 (out of 57), one of only two left-handed "Ike Everly" guitars that were ever produced. Photo 3 is Paul and the Ike Everly guitar in 1993.

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📸1: unknown
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios
📸3: Timothy Bischoff

09/14/2026

Paul McCartney with his Gibson The Everly Brothers J-180 acoustic guitar in a late 1980's promo picture for 'Flowers In The Dirt'. Photo two is the guitar currently on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (sorry for the glass reflections).

From 1962-1967 J-160's had tortoise pickguards before they were changed to black from 1968-1972. Paul's J-160 has a black pickguard though the HOF dates it as circa 1967. I can't find any examples of 1967 models with a black pickguard, but its possible transitional versions exist. Like many of Paul's guitars, his J-180 is a right-handed guitar flipped to left-handed. It was nearly symmetrical save for the Gibson logo which made an ideal guitar for conversion.

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: unknown
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

]

09/11/2026

Dr. Steve Gadd, Paul McCartney, and Denny Laine at AIR Montserrat in February 1981 during the 'Tug Of War'/'Pipes Of Peace' sessions. Paul is playing his Gibson The Everly Brothers J-180. Photo two is of the guitar currently on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Paul was photographed with the J-180 many times throughout the years. He took it to Morocco with Wings in February 1973, used it on the 'James Paul McCartney' television special, was used in the studio on At The Speed Of Sound, Tug Of War, Pipes Of Peace, Flowers In The Dirt and probably more, and was in many promotional photos including those used for the 1989/90 Would Tour. I'm sure there are a bunch more examples out there too.

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1:
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

09/09/2026

Amazing shot of Laurence Juber's Mesa Boogie Mark IIA (w/ extension cab) in Abbey Road Studios Studio 2 for the Paul McCartney & Wings' "Rockestra Theme" recording session on 3 October 1978. Photo 2 is of the Mesa currently on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Interestingly, photos/videos of the recording show that it may have been Denny Laine that played the MKII. The order of rigs/guitarists from L > R was: Pete Townshend (out of frame), Denny Laine, David Gilmour, Hank Marvin, and Laurence Juber.

📸1: Laurence Juber (hopefully he won't mind me nicking his photo!)
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

09/07/2026

Laurence Juber and his Mesa Boogie Mark II live with Paul McCartney & Wings. Swipe for a photo of the amp currently on display at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's Wings Exhibit. The live photo was taken at Liverpool's Royal Court during Wings' November 1979 run of shows. Juber used this amp live with wings in 1979 and also on 'Back To The Egg'.

The R&RHOF label lists this as a "Mark IIB", but the the B wasn't released until 1980, so that would actually make this a Mark IIA. The live photo shows two Mesa's in Juber's rig, I believe the one of the left is an Mark I and the Mark II is to the right on top of a 1x12 extension cab. Maybe if we're real lucky Mr. Juber Will stop by and give us the skinny!

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: Watal Asanuma
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

09/04/2026

Paul McCartney in 1982 with the Kay Jazz Special bass. This photo is from the "Ebony & Ivory" video shoot and was used on the Hal Leonard Easy Guitar "Paul McCartney Anthology" book in 1984. The following pictures are closeups of the bass currently at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The bass currently has what look to be Rotosound Tru Bass tapewound strings on it, though its hard to tell if that's what was on it in the '80s. Paul, of course, used Tru Bass Tapewound strings towards the end of the The Beatles career on both his Hofner and Rickenbacker basses.

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: unknown
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

09/03/2026

Paul McCartney and his Kay Jazz Special bass. This first photo looks to be from the same day as the photo that appeared in the 1972 Wings Over EuropeTour Programme. The second photo is the bass currently at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

The Kay Jazz Special is more specifically known by its model number K5970J-BK. The Jazz Special is a short-scale semi-hollowbody instrument with a a lipstick-style single coil pickup and simple volume and tone controls. The floating bridge made it an ideal candidate for a right to left handed flip for Paul. Although the R&R HOF label puts the manufacture of the bass between 1957 and 1961, Vintage Guitar Magazine says the Jazz Special was introduced in 1960, and most sources seem to agree that it was only produced for about two years.

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: unknown, but likely Robert Ellis or Linda
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

09/01/2026

Rock and Roll HOF series: Paul McCartney and his Kay Jazz Special bass. This first photo is from the 1972 Wings Over EuropeTour Programme. The second photo is the bass currently at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

Perhaps the most recognizable use of the Kay Jazz Special was the 1982 video for "Ebony and Ivory" with Stevie Wonder. Most of the Kay's use had come much earlier, however. There's the famous November 1974 performance of "Junior's Farm" on Top Of The Pops, and the bass was also reportedly used on early Wings recordings like 'Wild Life'

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: Robert Ellis
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

08/28/2026

Back on track with our Paul McCartney & Wings Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame series. Up next is drummer Steve Holley's Pollard Syndrum. Holley used the Syndrum on the Wings UK Tour 1979, including the Concert for the People of Kampuchea which this screen shot is from. It can be heard well on the 1979 live at Glasgow version of "Coming Up" in which Holley uses it for a kind of clap/whip sound in the choruses.

The original Syndrum was first invented in 1976 by drummer Joe Pollard, and is considered to be the first widely-available commercial electronic drum. Holly's Syndrum is a Syndrum Twin (Model 278) which was released circa 1978. The Syndrum Twin was two electronic pads that were hooked up to a controller/brain that was a synthesizer tailored to make percussion sounds.

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸1: screenshot "Concert for the People of Kampuchea" video
📸2: Alex Herd/Solo Beatles Studios

08/26/2026

If you didn't see, yesterday announced the release of the "Limited Edition 1967 Bass VI". $9500 price tag aside, the video that accompanied the announcement seems to confirm my speculation that the Bass VI at Friar Park was indeed Bass VI, so that's pretty exciting news. Also confirmation that it is a 1967.

I had a to take a break from posting the last week and a half, life got in the way. But I should be back to regular posts again. Cheers!

www.solobeatlesstudios.com

📸L: Ethan Russell
📸R: unknown

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