Has anyone seen any photos of John playing the Model 1996 which Rose Morris gave him while the neck crack on his 325 was being repaired? Supposedly he played it during one of the Beatles' Christmas shows, but I've never seen a picture of it.

Although he is just holding it in this pic, this is the guitar you are referring too.
http://www.thecanteen.com/lennon6.html

I have a nice colour photo of John coming out of a dressing room about to go on stage with the fireglo 1996 hangin on his shoulder ready to play.

I'll be posting a link to it tomorrow. (If someone doesn't beat me to it!)

That's the photo I was talking about!
Shame about the cigarette though. I scanned my photo (which is a high quality print), copied it then painted the ciggie out on the copy! Looks nicer!

Thanks, guys! Of course, after I posted the question, I rephrased my search on Google and found the same picture. It would be nice if there was still some live footage of the Christmas shows (I think Christmas of 1964) to see the 1996 in action! Pity he didn't play it more, especially since the headstock crack wasn't repaired properly! Could have boosted sales! (Plus it just looks so cool!)

I agree about the ciggie, although, looking at their old photos, looks like they smoked fairly frequently.

Sorry -- accidental double post.

Ah, yes, the one he gave to Ringo.

Actually ever more complete research as well a comment from Ringo's former producer Mark Hudson seems to suggest that RM 1996 may indeed have been played a lot more often then previously thought.

-Once again, going back through the 2006 published tome "Recording The Beatles" notations made by the 2 authors indicate possible Beatles instruments in play during the 1965 recording sessions. So listed RM 1996 shows as "accessible" and possibly in play as a studio instrument for the Beatles' 1965 recordings.

Mark Hudson reported back that he was invited into Ringo's house a couple of years back and Ringo took out from the sacred cases, George Harrison's iconic Gretsch Country Gentleman (which had been a gift to him from George) and also the Lennster's Ric RM 1996 which Hudson also claim he was allowed to play briefly.

Hudson remarked that Lennon's guitar looked as if had been "played a lot" and also claimed Ringo had remarked (some thing to the effect ) that John had "played it hard."

Although I've yet to see any photographic positive proof that Lennon had actually played RM 1996 on any session, here's my garden theory based on the above.

-I believe that Lennon used RM 1996 as his "in studio" Ric for the remaining Beatles' sessions where he played a Ric and possibly reserved his badly repaired broken headstock db 122 Miami for use in concerts, TV appearances and in the movie "Help!"

-And if you think about it, this would make total pragmatic sense.

It does make sense--keep the Jet Glo 325 as the iconic guitar that it was.

Speaking of Ringo, on June 24th Ringo and his All-Starr Band will kick off a North America summer concert tour at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort.