Not listed are instruments played by the Beatles’ session players such as cello, violin, saxophone, trumpet, French horn or the 41-piece orchestra heard on ' A Day in the Life'.īoth John Lennon and George Harrison used the Gibson J-160E, an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup at the base of the fretboard. This article attempts to list the instruments used to achieve those results. Their scope of experimentation grew, as did the palette of sounds. As their touring days wound down, they became a full-time studio band. The Beatles started out like most other rock and roll bands, employing a standard guitars/ bass/ drums instrumentation.