Note: similar guitar (arched top with f-hole) can be seen on 1959 Casbah Coffee Club photograph on English Wikipedia
   (color version can be found on PaulOnTheRunTour.blogspot.com)

               Zenith Model 17 Acoustic Guitar

One of Paul McCartney's first guitars, the Zenith model 17 was used
regularly up until the Beatles first trip to Hamburg. Paul is supposed
to have swapped his trumpet for the Zenith when he realised that he
couldn't sing and play at the same time. At first he tried to play the
guitar right handed but was unsuccessful; it was only when he saw
a picture of Slim Whiteman playing left handed that he realised he
could switch the string around. Paul composed many early songs
on the Zenith including his first song, ‘I Lost My Little Girl’.

This model has been kindly donated by Rod Davies of The Quarrymen.
He found this guitar in a music shop in Uxbridge near London. Sadly
there is no Zenith logo or badge on the guitar; however on the inside,
the paper label which gives the model name and number sais that it
was ‘tested and approved’ and personally signed by Ivor Mairants.

Mairants was a famous jazz and dance band guitaists who also owned
the prestigious Ivor Mirants Musicentre, a specialist guitar store in
London. German manufacturers Framous were chosen to make his
Zenith guitars, whilist Boosey & Hawkes become their sole distributor.

If you look to the left you will see a picture of the Quarrymen on stage
at New Clubmoor Hall in November 1957. Paul is on his modified
Zenith; the scratch plate can be seen above the sound hole as it was
still positioned for a right handed player.