Elvis's Guitar From 1957

[Suspicious Minds]

When did Elvis stop using this guitar?
Is it the same guitar from 1957 Loving You?
I know it has not got his name on that one.

[thehillbillycat]

The that he used in Loving You when he first sung Loving You is the same guitar the he used in the 1976 shows. As the one you asking about I am not for sure.

[supertwangreverb]

Good reads here. Seems that he had two of them and when the first was sent to Gibson to be fixed they just sent him a brand new guitar.

http://www.scottymoore.net/56J200.html

http://www.scottymoore.net/60J200.html

[thehillbillycat]

Good reads here. Seems that he had two of them and when the first was sent to Gibson to be fixed they just sent him a brand new guitar.

http://www.scottymoore.net/56J200.html

http://www.scottymoore.net/60J200.html



That guitar was also seen in The Trouble With Girls.:notworthy

[supertwangreverb]

That guitar was also seen in The Trouble With Girls.:notworthy

Where in Trouble with Girls? I thought by then they would have stopped using any of Elvis' personal belongings in movies. I know Col. Parker had it written in the contracts that none of Elvis' clothes could be worn in a movie, and this included wrist watches.

I'd love to see a picture of it being used as late as '76 as well.

[Raised on Rock]

In 1956 Scotty Moore gave Elvis his first gibson J-200, it was a '56 model, that's the guitar he used in Loving You and latter used in all his '57 live performances with a cool leather cover. In '60 that guitar was refurbished and became the one with the mod pickguard and his name in pearloid inlays, so the '56 J-200 he used live in '57 is the same he used latter in his live performances during '69 and '70.

A new '60 J-200 model was given to him in '60 and is the one we saw in G.I. Blues, Tickle Me and the '68 comback special, and in some performances in '69 and the Sep tour '70. It was not used in other movies neither live after probably '71.

The guitar Elvislennon is pointing is antoher guitar Elvis used in the first part of loving You, Im trying to get more info about that one, I think is the same he used on many other '60 movies, like Girls, Girls, Girls, the one it appears in the cover of the Devil in Desguise single. As far as I know this wasn't used live during the 70's.

I'm doing a research about all the guitars used by Presley, maybe you can take a look in that thread and help me out, its called: The guitars of Elvis Presley, heres the link:

http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?t=11525

[supertwangreverb]

Maybe that "movie" J200 is the same j200 in Tickle Me as well. Interesting...

[Unchained Melody]

Very intertesting information Raised On Rock.

Would really like to know more about Elvis using the same guitar from '57 Loving You movie in 1976 concerts:hmm: ;) .

[Leroy]

The guitar Elvis is using in Loving You is a Gibson J-45. This one would feature in a lot of Elvis movies such as Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii and Girls! Girls! Girls!. Sometimes an almost similar guitar was used only with a smaller body. That was a Gibson LG-1. This last one was also seen in the scene where Elvis was trown into the swimming pool in Viva Las Vegas.

[Leroy]

And here is the guitar Elvis used in "Roustabout", a Harmony Monterey.

[Leroy]

And in the 1967 picture "Speedway" Elvis can be seen playing a Fender Coronado II.

[supertwangreverb]

The guitar Elvis is using in Loving You is a Gibson J-45. This one would feature in a lot of Elvis movies such as Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii and Girls! Girls! Girls!. Sometimes an almost similar guitar was used only with a smaller body. That was a Gibson LG-1. This last one was also seen in the scene where Elvis was trown into the swimming pool in Viva Las Vegas.

Elvis did have a J200 in Loving You. It comes along later in the movie. http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/2/2/3/7/lovingyou.jpg

The LG1 or LG2 was used in Viva Las Vegas, Girl Happy, and It Happened at the World's Fair. There were atleast two of those LG1s or LG2s because I've seen a behind the scenes picture from one of those movies and Elvis and Red are both playing LGs.

[Raised on Rock]

Maybe that "movie" J200 is the same j200 in Tickle Me as well. Interesting...

The 1960 that apeared in Tickle Me is the same of G.I. Blues or the '68 Comback, not a chance of being the J200 he used during the 50's.

[Raised on Rock]

Very intertesting information Raised On Rock.

Would really like to know more about Elvis using the same guitar from '57 Loving You movie in 1976 concerts:hmm: ;) .

That never happened, if the '56 J-200 was refurbished and became the Mod custom J-200 we saw Elvis using in TTWII, Elvis used it in Stage for the last time in '71. If they actually deliver another guitar, then the only concert Elvis gave in '58 was the last time Elvis used his 1956 J-200 in public.

If you are talking about the Gibson LG-1 or the J-45, Elvis never used any of those On Stage as far as I know.

[Raised on Rock]

The guitar Elvis is using in Loving You is a Gibson J-45. This one would feature in a lot of Elvis movies such as Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii and Girls! Girls! Girls!. Sometimes an almost similar guitar was used only with a smaller body. That was a Gibson LG-1. This last one was also seen in the scene where Elvis was trown into the swimming pool in Viva Las Vegas.

Leroy thanks for delivering more info about Elvis guitars.

[Suspicious Minds]

Thanks for the info.(y)

[Unchained Melody]

Great info Leroy. Thanks for those pics, and the info to go along with them;) .

[thehillbillycat]

Where in Trouble with Girls? I thought by then they would have stopped using any of Elvis' personal belongings in movies. I know Col. Parker had it written in the contracts that none of Elvis' clothes could be worn in a movie, and this included wrist watches.

I'd love to see a picture of it being used as late as '76 as well.


Guitar that was used in the Trouble With Girls is the one he uses during the scene where he is on stage and playing Clean Up Your Own Backyard. I believe that is the guitar I am thinking of. Because I read it in a book that the guitar was used in several movies over his movie career but not alot of those movies.

[supertwangreverb]

Guitar that was used in the Trouble With Girls is the one he uses during the scene where he is on stage and playing Clean Up Your Own Backyard. I believe that is the guitar I am thinking of. Because I read it in a book that the guitar was used in several movies over his movie career but not alot of those movies.

That is not a j200 in that scene.

[Leroy]

I posted a picture of The Trouble With Girls and if this is the scene you are referring to than than the guitar is the Gibson J-45.

[Leroy]

And here is a scene from Loving You where Elvis (Deke Rivers) is using the Gibson J-45.

[Wendy56]

THANKS to everybody for the information... And Leroy, great pictures. :clap:

[supertwangreverb]

I posted a picture of The Trouble With Girls and if this is the scene you are referring to than than the guitar is the Gibson J-45.

Hmmmmmm. I hate to be the new guy and seem like I'm constantly disagreeing with you guys, BUT after closer inspection I don't think that's a J45. My first problem with that guitar are the fret dots. The don't coincide with where they should be on a Gibson. Also the upper curves on that guitar (where a cutaway would be) look really wide and flat compared to any J45 I've seen. "The Loving You" J45 has more of a Gibson shaped body than this guitar. Lastly the headstock is not Gibson shaped in the "Trouble With Girls" guitar. No pickguard either.

[thehillbillycat]

I posted a picture of The Trouble With Girls and if this is the scene you are referring to than than the guitar is the Gibson J-45.


I know that. But that is the guitar that Elvis used during the song of Got A Lot Lovin' To Do.

[supertwangreverb]

I know that. But that is the guitar that Elvis used during the song of Got A Lot Lovin' To Do.

No way. They are two different guitars. I really don't think the "Trouble With Girls" guitar is even a Gibson anymore. Look at the frets on this guitar!! That looks like no Gibson I've seen and the pitch of the headstock looks more silvertoneish to my eyes.http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/1/1/7/0/t_149759.jpg

http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/1/50s_movies_lovingyou_17.jpg

I think people are making the mistake that these were all Elvis' guitars and he brought them to the movie sets. That didn't happen. Possibly in the 50s movies when his real band was cast as extras he could have used his own guitar. But I kno wthe 60s movies had a stipulation written in the contract that Elvis couldn't wear any thing as small as his own jewlery in the movies so why would they let something as big as a guitar in? Sure EPE owns the Burns 12 string from Spinout. But there's no proof that is the same guitar from the movie.

[thehillbillycat]

No way. They are two different guitars. I really don't think the "Trouble With Girls" guitar is even a Gibson anymore. Look at the frets on this guitar!! That looks like no Gibson I've seen and the pitch of the headstock looks more silvertoneish to my eyes.http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/1/1/7/0/t_149759.jpg

http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/1/50s_movies_lovingyou_17.jpg

I think people are making the mistake that these were all Elvis' guitars and he brought them to the movie sets. That didn't happen. Possibly in the 50s movies when his real band was cast as extras he could have used his own guitar. But I kno wthe 60s movies had a stipulation written in the contract that Elvis couldn't wear any thing as small as his own jewlery in the movies so why would they let something as big as a guitar in? Sure EPE owns the Burns 12 string from Spinout. But there's no proof that is the same guitar from the movie.

The proof is from scottymoore.net. That site tells all on Elvis' guitars that he used over the years.

[supertwangreverb]

The proof is from scottymoore.net. That site tells all on Elvis' guitars that he used over the years.

The proof of what? That Elvis used a J45 in Trouble with Girls? I don't see that on scottymoore.net. What are we even debating anymore?

[elvis himselvis]

great info Leroy
very interesting
thank you

[thehillbillycat]

The proof of what? That Elvis used a J45 in Trouble with Girls? I don't see that on scottymoore.net. What are we even debating anymore?

For some reason that is the only guitar that isn't listed. But the others are. But several hardcore fans can tell you that is the same guitar that he used in other movies and that is his guitar. They have the proof that it is the same guitar. One book I have states that it was Elvis' idea to used the J-45 guitar for the movie The Trouble With Girls even though it was originally going to be J-200. That is from a book that shows Elvis with the J-200 guitar on the set of The Trouble With Girls. But in the movie it shows him playing the J-45. But one thing I know why he didn't use it. It had his name on it. I think it would look a little stupid on his part to play his own guitar with his name on it while he is in a movie playing a character with a totally different name.

[tcbtigerman]

The Gibson J-200 from "Loving You" is the same one he used in "Thats the way it is" It was customized fro him as a birthday surprise in 1960 from what ive heard.they put the new pickguard on it and the name on the neck.he used it in the Pearl Harbor concert in hawaii also and at the Ellis auditorium shows before starting to use it again in 1969 vegas. the j 200 used in the comeback special was a different one that he bought.

[supertwangreverb]

For some reason that is the only guitar that isn't listed. But the others are. But several hardcore fans can tell you that is the same guitar that he used in other movies and that is his guitar. They have the proof that it is the same guitar. One book I have states that it was Elvis' idea to used the J-45 guitar for the movie The Trouble With Girls even though it was originally going to be J-200. That is from a book that shows Elvis with the J-200 guitar on the set of The Trouble With Girls. But in the movie it shows him playing the J-45. But one thing I know why he didn't use it. It had his name on it. I think it would look a little stupid on his part to play his own guitar with his name on it while he is in a movie playing a character with a totally different name.

:lmfao: So you're telling me they used the same exact guitar from a movie 10 years earlier? Your first "proof" was erronous and now your not able to provide an actual source? I find it difficult to take your posts seriously at this point. Did you even look at the differences between the "Trouble with Girls" guitar and a actual Gibson J45 that I previously mentioned? Maybe it took those 10 years between those two movies to modify itself into a different body and headstock shape huh?:lmfao:

Ok, I'm getting a bit too sarcastic now. But seriously, the point of this post is to try to make some sense out of these guitars and not spew fourth erronous claims. There's too much of that surrounding every other facet of this man. I want SOURCES!! Several hardcore fans don't count as to backing up claims that it was actually his guitar, and you haven't been able to come up with another movie aside from Loving You that this guitar was used in. It appears to have been a prop.

[thehillbillycat]

:lmfao: So you're telling me they used the same exact guitar from a movie 10 years earlier? Your first "proof" was erronous and now your not able to provide an actual source? I find it difficult to take your posts seriously at this point. Did you even look at the differences between the "Trouble with Girls" guitar and a actual Gibson J45 that I previously mentioned? Maybe it took those 10 years between those two movies to modify itself into a different body and headstock shape huh?:lmfao:

Ok, I'm getting a bit too sarcastic now. But seriously, the point of this post is to try to make some sense out of these guitars and not spew fourth erronous claims. There's too much of that surrounding every other facet of this man. I want SOURCES!! Several hardcore fans don't count as to backing up claims that it was actually his guitar, and you haven't been able to come up with another movie aside from Loving You that this guitar was used in. It appears to have been a prop.


It is the same guitar. Here is the J-45 in Loving You and The Trouble With Girls. They look like the same guitar to me and the headstock looks the same and the body does too.
http://www.tcb-world.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16394
http://www.tcb-world.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16393

This is the J-45. How does the body look different? How does the headstock look different?
J-45 was also used in Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii, and Girls, Girls, Girls. Please watch the movies to see it.

J-45 in Blue Hawaii:
http://www.tcb-world.com/gallery/files/1/1/7/9/BlueHawaii.jpg


Leroy even provided the same info in the 9 post on the first page. Where have you been if you don't mind if I ask? Since you was a little sarcastic I have to be too. :D

[supertwangreverb]

It is the same guitar. Here is the J-45 in Loving You and The Trouble With Girls. They look like the same guitar to me and the headstock looks the same and the body does too.
http://www.tcb-world.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16394
http://www.tcb-world.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=16393

This is the J-45. How does the body look different? How does the headstock look different?
J-45 was also used in Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii, and Girls, Girls, Girls. Please watch the movies to see it.

Ahh yes you're right it's in Blue Hawaii. Bad on my part!
Ok, look at the headstock it's shaped differently. And also the top bout seems fatter on the "Trouble w/ Girls Guitar"
Also, look at the fret dots on the fretboard. They differ.

[thehillbillycat]

Ahh yes you're right it's in Blue Hawaii. Bad on my part!
Ok, look at the headstock it's shaped differently. And also the top bout seems fatter on the "Trouble w/ Girls Guitar"
Also, look at the fret dots on the fretboard. They differ.


It does look a bit fatter in The Trouble With Girls than Loving You but you are need to know that pictures taken can make things look different in size. Elvis is standing in the Loving You picture that is provided and sitting down in The Trouble With Girls. Both pictures the guitars are pointing in sightly opposite directions which can make it look fatter but it actual it is not. As for the frets. The neck of the guitar can change it look different. Who knows what could of happen. Maybe the neck was broken and had to be replaced with a new one.

[Leroy]

Supertwangreverb, there is at least one thing you are right about. The pick guard is missing on the guitar that's used in Trouble With Girls. Also the dots in the fret board seem to be bigger. This could mean this is not the same J-45 as the one he used in some of his earlier movies. I'm not totally convinced it isn't a Gibson but maybe we have to dig deeper. So let's park this one for a while until we have more material to rely on.

[thehillbillycat]

Supertwangreverb, there is at least one thing you are right about. The pick guard is missing on the guitar that's used in Trouble With Girls. Also the dots in the fret board seem to be bigger. This could mean this is not the same J-45 as the one he used in some of his earlier movies. I'm not totally convinced it isn't a Gibson but maybe we have to dig deeper. So let's park this one for a while until we have more material to rely on.


Well, I can look through my Elvis archives that I have. I have several papers on his guitars and so on. Maybe they can shed some light on it. But I won't get to those papers until monday. I have a stack of papers on his guitars that it isn't funny. It is about a half foot thick. Which isn't alot of papers to tell the truth but it is alot on jsut his guitars.

[supertwangreverb]

Well, I can look through my Elvis archives that I have. I have several papers on his guitars and so on. Maybe they can shed some light on it. But I won't get to those papers until monday. I have a stack of papers on his guitars that it isn't funny. It is about a half foot thick. Which isn't alot of papers to tell the truth but it is alot on jsut his guitars.


I'm going to look through some of my books too and see if I can find any information on Gibson making adjustments to the J45. Maybe it is a Gibson, maybe it's not. But atleast we can agree that it doesn't look the same as it did in '57.

We can't park this one this just yet..:king:

[Suspicious Minds]

Similar question, is this the same guitar?

[Leroy]

These GibsonJ J-200's are the same type but they are different. The left one is refurbished in to Elvis' Custom Gibson and the right one is a 1960 replacement.

[thehillbillycat]

Found a little info on J-45. One of my source say it is the same guitar that was used in the all the movies it appeared in. J-45 was redone sometime between the year of 1967 and 1968. It says that only minor chances was done which included a new head piece. But it says that it is indeed the same guitar. My source shows a picture of Elvis holding the guitar on the set of Loving You. Then it shows a picture of it from the Trouble With Girls with Elvis holding the guitar and the J-200 right by him. But it does say it is the same guitar that was used in all of the movies it appears in.:P

But the source doesn't say why it was redone.

[supertwangreverb]

Found a little info on J-45. One of my source say it is the same guitar that was used in the all the movies it appeared in. J-45 was redone sometime between the year of 1967 and 1968. It says that only minor chances was done which included a new head piece. But it says that it is indeed the same guitar. My source shows a picture of Elvis holding the guitar on the set of Loving You. Then it shows a picture of it from the Trouble With Girls with Elvis holding the guitar and the J-200 right by him. But it does say it is the same guitar that was used in all of the movies it appears in.:P

But the source doesn't say why it was redone.

Wow, is that from a book? I'd love to know where you got that.

[thehillbillycat]

I have a bunch of papers that I got off a guy who did amazign research for me about two years ago. These papers are one of a kind since it is done in my friend's writing. To comfirm this he gave me the books that they came from and it match up. The book it comes from is a book about guitars. It tells who played the type of guitar and if the artist had more than guitar model. Example: It shows that Elvis had two J-200 guitars. Well, It does this. The original is listed as J-200 but the second one is listed as J-200-II meaning that this is a completely different guitar than the original but it is the same model.
Ok, for J-45 it doesn't list a second or more copies of it so it means he only had one guitar of this model. It tells only a handful of the shows that he used this guitar for. It also listed what movies this guitar was in if the artist was in a movie. Which we all know that Elvis was a movie star. It says that the guitar was redone sometime between 1967 to 1968. Reasons: unknown.

That is what I am going by here. The info is from a book call Guitars and their artists.

[vinceeverrette]

Elvis had two guitars with leather covers. One was a Gibson J 200 and the other was a Martin D 18. The one in the movie Loving You is the same one that can be seen throughout the sixties and it is the same guitar that he uses in the '68 comeback special and he continued to use it until the day he died. The J 200 was sent in to have Elvis written on the fretboard shortly after the 1968 Comeback Special. Elvis had seen Glen Campbell had his name written on his guitar and liked the look of it so he had it done himself. When it was sent in the guy that made the changes changed the pick guard as well because he thought the design suited Elvis. Elvis agreed.

[Leroy]

Elvis had two guitars with leather covers. One was a Gibson J 200 and the other was a Martin D 18. The one in the movie Loving You is the same one that can be seen throughout the sixties and it is the same guitar that he uses in the '68 comeback special and he continued to use it until the day he died. The J 200 was sent in to have Elvis written on the fretboard shortly after the 1968 Comeback Special. Elvis had seen Glen Campbell had his name written on his guitar and liked the look of it so he had it done himself. When it was sent in the guy that made the changes changed the pick guard as well because he thought the design suited Elvis. Elvis agreed.

I'm sorry to correct you vinceeverett but the J-200 got Elvis' name on the fret board in 1960. That was when this guitar was costumized. The J-200 you see in Loving you is not the same as in the 1968 Comeback Special. The one you see in the 1968 Comeback Special is the 1960 replacement. If you had taken the time to read this thread befor you replied you would have known.

[Suspicious Minds]

Here's photo with name on guitar from after Wild In The Country I think.

[Leroy]

This picture belongs to a set of promo pictures from Wild in the Country.

[thehillbillycat]

Gibson J-200 was sent in in 1960 just three weeks after he came back from the army. The guitar was redone with a somewhat new look which includes his name in capital letter on the fret board. There was two ideas for this guitar before the final that is seen. Idea one feature J-200 with a total new look which includes his name on the pickguard and not on the fret board. Idea two was the one that was used and is seen in several photos and in the movie TTWII. But the original guitar was misplace and a replacement was sent in its place. The replacement was only seen a few times. It is mostly remember being the guitar that was seen in ELVIS a.k.a. The 68 Comeback Special. The original guitar was found sometime before Wild In The Country and sent to Elvis because of the several pictures of Elvis with that guitar with his name on the fret board. Their is some photos that has Elvis holding the guitar on the set of Flaming Star but the guitar was not seen in the movie. The guitar didn't even have his name on the fret board so clearly it was the replacement that is seen in the photos taken on the Flaming Star set.


All info is provided by the same place that I found on the J-45 guitar. Which was mostly told on here except for a few details which I added from my source.

[Raised on Rock]

Gibson J-200 was sent in in 1960 just three weeks after he came back from the army. The guitar was redone with a somewhat new look which includes his name in capital letter on the fret board. There was two ideas for this guitar before the final that is seen. Idea one feature J-200 with a total new look which includes his name on the pickguard and not on the fret board. Idea two was the one that was used and is seen in several photos and in the movie TTWII. But the original guitar was misplace and a replacement was sent in its place. The replacement was only seen a few times. It is mostly remember being the guitar that was seen in ELVIS a.k.a. The 68 Comeback Special. The original guitar was found sometime before Wild In The Country and sent to Elvis because of the several pictures of Elvis with that guitar with his name on the fret board. Their is some photos that has Elvis holding the guitar on the set of Flaming Star but the guitar was not seen in the movie. The guitar didn't even have his name on the fret board so clearly it was the replacement that is seen in the photos taken on the Flaming Star set.


All info is provided by the same place that I found on the J-45 guitar. Which was mostly told on here except for a few details which I added from my source.

It would be great if you can scan and post some of the photos you are talking about as well as the author and publishing company of the book you are telling us.