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Epiphone Revolution/Abbey Road guitar strap


09Casino

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Greetings,

 

A couple of years ago I picked up a new Epiphone Revolution Casino (USA), and I'm trying to find a period guitar strap to go with it. I think Lennon used a black leasther Ernie Ball strap through '68, and I have a picture of hime during his solo career in the early 70's, but I'm looking for the strap from the period '69-'70. I've found a picture of the "get back" rooftop concert with close-ups of the strap I'm looking for, but can't attach them to this forum. It has a black background and has alternating white and yellowish geometric patterns. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Jack

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I looked around for a similar strap for my casino (a standard), and came to the conclusions it was possibly made by Ace as they seemed to be of that period, but who knows who else was in business at the time. I could find old Ace straps online like this one, but not that specific pattern, so maybe not one of theirs.

 

Ultimately I decided 'a strap is all I need' so bought a Planet Waves retro Hendrix pattern. Hippie Straps dot com were the closest to the period rooftop one I could find, though ebay had a few similar patterns as well.

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Given how there are thousands of Beatles fans out there, I'm suprised there isn't more of a demand for this kind of strap. There's a lot of popularity for the vox python strap for Lennons 325 Rickenbacker. I guess cause there aren't nearly as many photos. Ironically, one of the websites you mentioned has the strap from later in Lennons career. I believe its one of the stained glass straps from Hippie Straps. I might just end up going with one of those...

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I still have a couple of my "hippie" guitar straps that I bought back in the late 60s but they're in need of having the leather ends replaced as well as having the fabric resewn onto the vinyl parts of the straps.One strap is almost identical to one that I have a pic of Jimi using and I use that on my "Monterey" Strat-A black rosewood lefty strung for right hand.It's a mirror image of the one that Jimi used for most of the Monterey Concert before he switched to his hand painted"Sacrifice" guitar.

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Right now I'm using Beatle Planet Wave straps on all my John Lennon Epis as well as on my natural Casino.On my EJ-160-E John Lennon I use the Yellow Submarine Strap on my '65 John Lennon Casino I use the Beatles Beatlemania strap and on the natural I use the Revolver Strap.I hope to get the Vox python when I feel a bit richer or get a Ricky 325/64.

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I've been searching for years for this strap but never been able to find one and no doubt the day one shows up it will have every Beatles fan on the planet bidding on it!

 

I got a strap company to make me a custom strap that resembles John's but it's print weave so looks a bit more modern up close. It cost me about £30.

 

Here's a picture of my guitar with the strap. It's good if you want something that looks more like THEE strap but if you just want a 60s vibe strap I'd go for a vintage woven or modern repro ace/hippie strap. It's no perfect so I've considered having another go at the design. It's an ongoing project for me!

 

If there's a demand for them I could spend some time with the company to get the design even closer and order a batch of 10 or 20.

 

248735_569916912011_223000709_2698040_4858912_n.jpg

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That custom strap you had made is pretty darned close. I'm really surprised that someone hasn't capitalized on the popularity of the Revolution series of Epiphones by producing those straps. If anyone is curious, the stained glass hippie strap that Lennon used layer in his career can be seen by Googling photos from the Plastic Ono band Toronto concert.

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  • 5 months later...

Thanks for reviving that old thread. I was looking for that strap.

 

Actually, Bobby Lee made that strap for John Lennon in the 60's. They invented the guitar strap for Les Paul in 1948, you can see the patent numbers on their old straps, and have made numerous straps for Gibson and Epiphone over the years. They have reissued their 50 year old copyright design by pulling from the extensive vintage collection of Souldier in a joint collaboration (Souldier made the straps for the Eric Clapton signature Beano Gibson Les Paul and Marc Bolan T-Rex Les Paul). Those other ones on ebay are some poor modern printed copies with the pattern way off as it was made from an out of focus still photo taken from the movie. Get the original John Lennon rooftop guitar strap made from nos fabric to complete your Beatles vintage gear set up.

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I've asked my family for the lennon strap and casino for the holidays. I'm hoping it's the bobby lee one as it has the nos vintage fabric and original manufacturer, if I can't have a real 65 casino and true period strap, I guess, I'll have to settle. We'll see if and what I get for Christmas, will post some pics after the holidays. If it's another sweater, i won't bother.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The Trophy reproduction is all wrong. The white tulips are rotated the wrong way and the pattern and shape is not close - there should not be color in the middle of the white tulip. The green tulips point the wrong way also, they are the wrong shape, and there is too much space between them. The pyramids next to the white tulips should be stepped, as in the Bobby Lee, not simplified triangles like the Trophy.

 

The Trophy material is just wrong, also. Bobby Lee's reproduction may not be perfect, but it is a much better quality fabric and much closer in appearance. If you look for pics of Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band, he uses a similar strap color-wise like on the rooftop, but a different design.

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The Trophy reproduction is all wrong. The white tulips are rotated the wrong way and the pattern and shape is not close - there should not be color in the middle of the white tulip. The green tulips point the wrong way also, they are the wrong shape, and there is too much space between them. The pyramids next to the white tulips should be stepped, as in the Bobby Lee, not simplified triangles like the Trophy.

 

The Trophy material is just wrong, also. Bobby Lee's reproduction may not be perfect, but it is a much better quality fabric and much closer in appearance. If you look for pics of Lennon with the Plastic Ono Band, he uses a similar strap color-wise like on the rooftop, but a different design.

 

 

Thank you for the frame of reference. My husband said he had that same strap years and years ago when he was in high school. He's always talking about that strap and his Gibson he sold, Always talking how he never should have sold them in college. Found your post and went to the Bobby Lee strap site, I showed him and his mouth dropped it, he was speechless. It is the exact same strap, he couldn't remember who made it. It makes sense as it is the original company. Just made his day to let him order it, now I know when our wedding anniversary comes up, I'm going to get some jewelry, as I secretly am going to get him that long lost guitar too. Thank god I researched it first instead of just buying the first cheap thing I saw.

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Thank you for the frame of reference. My husband said he had that same strap years and years ago when he was in high school. He's always talking about that strap and his Gibson he sold, Always talking how he never should have sold them in college. Found your post and went to the Bobby Lee strap site, I showed him and his mouth dropped it, he was speechless. It is the exact same strap, he couldn't remember who made it. It makes sense as it is the original company. Just made his day to let him order it, now I know when our wedding anniversary comes up, I'm going to get some jewelry, as I secretly am going to get him that long lost guitar too. Thank god I researched it first instead of just buying the first cheap thing I saw.

 

Glad to help with the jewelry! Your husband should up the ante. Doesn't he need a new guitar, too?

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Glad to help with the jewelry! Your husband should up the ante. Doesn't he need a new guitar, too?

He's looking for a specific guitar, I'm surprising him with a trip to the Nashville guitar show so he can find try and find it in Feb for a late valentine weekend. I think it is a 335 or something like that.

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He's looking for a specific guitar, I'm surprising him with a trip to the Nashville guitar show so he can find try and find it in Feb for a late valentine weekend. I think it is a 335 or something like that.

 

That does it. I'm going out to buy some jewelry for my wife right now!

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...now I know when our wedding anniversary comes up, I'm going to get some jewelry, as I secretly am going to get him that long lost guitar too.

That does it. I'm going out to buy some jewelry for my wife right now!

It's an interesting thread but....

That is the funniest thing I have read all day!!!

 

Willy

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First time I've seen the Bobby Lee strap! Much prefer it to the trophy strap. I'm gonna get both though. One for the "inspired" I'm planning and one for the eventual USA 1965 reissue. I'll attach the 3 straps in order of guitar`

 

Here is a picture of the Bobby Lee strap on my Casino.

 

021.jpg

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