THERE ARE MANY ways to approach the Beatles’ career: album by album, era by era, haircut by haircut. But the group’s choices of guitars and other gear is an especially enjoyable and revealing method for examining the development of their music and sounds. The period beginning in 1968 is particularly interesting, as it was then that some great new guitars and amps entered the picture during the making of the White Album. Come January 1969 and the recording of Let It Be, their gear lineup expanded with the addition of several pieces from Fender, including the company’s then-new silverface amps, which make a such a pleasing sight in the previews for director Peter Jackson’s new documentary, The Beatles: Get Back. This issue, we take a look at that gear and the history behind it.