I have written an article about perhaps the most famous guitar of all time, John Lennon's 1958 Capri Model 325 Rickenbacker at:
http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/mccorp/babysinblack.html

Purchased at Steinway's in Hamburg, Germany in 1960, this guitar quickly became an Icon for the British Invasion. Perhaps one of the more elusive aspects of this famous guitar's history, however, is the reason for its refinishing. So why was this guitar refinished, by whom and when? This article attempts to answer these questions based on the available documentation to date...
http://personal.nbnet.nb.ca/mccorp/babysinblack.html