by JimN » 28 Jan 2015, 21:54
The Shadows were still using the red Strats at the time they promoted Foot Tapper on TV, so - assuming that everything is as straightforward as you would expect - they wouldn't have used the newer guitars for recordings made up to at least 8th March 1963. After that, there were no recordings at Abbey Road until 10th April (just three songs on those two dates: Lucky Lips, I Wonder and Your Eyes Tell On You) then a slew of new recordings from 27th April onward.
By the time the group opened in their Blackpool summer season (early June 1963), they had the tortoisehell scratchplates on the Strats, which were also seen on a "Thank Your Lucky Stars" (recorded 5th August).
So it seems that the all-white period starts in about March/April and ends by early June (probably May, given that the guitars would have had to be ready for opening night at the ABC Theatre). And most of the recordings which fall into the available time-slot were actually made in Barcelona. The only likely dates for that photo (at Abbey Road) are therefore either 8th March or 10th April (perhaps the latter is most likely).
Lucky Lips 8-Mar-63 Cliff & The Shadows A-side DB 7034 Take 6
I Wonder 8-Mar-63 Cliff & The Shadows B-side DB 7034 Take 9
Your Eyes Tell On You 10-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows B-side DB 7089 Take 10
Adios Muchachos 27-Apr-63 The Shadows Los Shadows EP Barcelona
Granada 27-Apr-63 The Shadows Los Shadows EP Barcelona
Las Tres Carabelas 27-Apr-63 The Shadows Los Shadows EP Barcelona
Valencia 27-Apr-63 The Shadows Los Shadows EP Barcelona
Perfidia 28-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 7 Barcelona
Frenesi 28-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 5 Barcelona
Tus Besos 28-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 23 Barcelona
Amor, Amor, Amor 28-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 4 Barcelona
Solamente Una Vez 29-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 13 Barcelona
Quizas, Quizas, Quizas 29-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 13 Barcelona
Carnival 29-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 5 Barcelona
Quien Sera 29-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 14 Barcelona
Te Quiero Dijieste 30-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 15 Barcelona
Vaya Con Dios 30-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 9 Barcelona
Me Lo Dijo Adela 30-Apr-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 7 Barcelona
Maria No Mas 1-May-63 Cliff & The Shadows When In Spain Take 11 Barcelona
[All recording data taken from Roberto Pistolesi's Shadows session file.]