A few months ago, in an extensive interview with GQ, Paul McCartney revealed that he counted his beloved 1964 Epiphone Casino – a guitar that Jimi Hendrix inspired him to buy – as one of his favorite guitars of all-time.
Now, it's been revealed that Gibson – all too aware of the Beatle's connection to the guitar – contacted McCartney some years ago about making a signature version of the always-stylish hollowbody.
In a new interview with MusicRadar, Keith Smith – McCartney's technical manager – discussed how, after some excited early talks, plans for the guitar eventually sputtered out.
“A few years ago Gibson wanted him to do a signature version of his ’64 Epiphone Casino,” Smith said. “We ummed and ahhed, and it didn’t really take off. We saw that everyone sort of has a signature model, and to Paul it didn’t really seem that important.”
It is worth noting, however, that McCartney – who just released his latest solo album, McCartney III – had previously worked with Epiphone in the early 2000s to create a signature version of his 1964 Texan acoustic.
McCartney had used the Texan during his legendary performance of "Yesterday" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965.
Should this news kickstart a craving for any kind of Beatle-affiliated signature guitar, you can pick up one of the Fender Custom Shop's George Harrison "Rocky" Stratocasters, though it'll set you back a cool $25,000.
