Paul McCartney still uses the guitar amp he bought when was 14

Paul McCartney has shared a unique glimpse into his recording process, revealing that he still uses an amplifier that he bought when he was aged 14.

The Beatles icon showed off his ‘Little Green Amp’ – the Elpico A55 – as part of an hour-long tour of his Hog Hill Mill Studios in east Sussex, which is included in the re-release of his 1997 solo album ‘Flaming Pie’.

The Elpico amplifier has become part of Beatles folklore in its own right, and was seen on stage with the band throughout their trailblazing career.

While it was initially designed to amplify one gramophone and two microphones, McCartney explained how he used it a guitar amp.

He said in the 1997 clip: “This is my very first amp I ever had when I was 14, it was called an Elpico. As you can see it is very 50s, it looks like a piece of 50s furniture.

“Instead of putting guitars into it, it says Mic1, Mic2, Gramophone, anything but guitars really. In those days amps were used more for putting your records through or microphones, for little PAs.

“That was the first thing and I have kept it ever since. I have now had it fixed up because it is so old. When you put an electric guitar through it now it sounds a bit like a fuzz guitar so it is quite a funky sound that I use sometimes. It is a dear little thing from many years ago.”

The amp was first manufactured by British company Lee Products around 1956, and went on to become a favourite of rock legends such as The Kinks‘ Dave Davies.

Last week, McCartney also revealed how ELO‘s Jeff Lynne convinced him to secure Ringo Starr to perform on ‘Flaming Pie’.

McCartney joined forces with his former Beatles bandmate on his 1997 solo album, which marked one of their most significant collaborations together since the band split up in 1970.