Gibson makes 640 guitars to honor what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday

Gibson makes guitars to honor John Lennon

BOZEMAN, Mont. — The Gibson Guitar factory in Montana is finishing a project to honor what would have been the 70th birthday of Beatles singer and guitarist John Lennon.

Gibson Acoustic’s director of sales and marketing, Robi Johns, tells the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that Yoko Ono asked the company to release a limited number of J-160Es — the model of guitar her husband played.

Johns says the company is releasing three models with suggested retail prices of between $4,700 and $15,000.

The company made 70 of the all-white “Imagine” model, and 70 replicas of Lennon’s J-160E as it was when he was murdered 20 years ago. On the guitar, Lennon had drawn sketches of himself at Ono.

Five-hundred replicas of an earlier model will also be released Saturday.

Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, www.bozemandailychronicle.com