The guitar, called the Hootenanny, was made by Bavarian musical instrument manufacturer Framus.
John Lennon’s 12-string guitar, considered missing for more than half a century, has been sold at auction in the United States. The price of the guitar is $2.9 million, making it the most expensive musical instrument associated with the Beatles history.
Guitar history
The guitar, called the Hootenanny, was made by Bavarian musical instrument manufacturer Framus.
In 1964, John Lennon bought it – and used it to record several songs on two Beatles albums, released in 1965: Help! and Rubber Soul.
With Lennon playing it during a performance of the song You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away in the film Help! He can also be heard on tracks such as Girl, I’ve Just Seen a Face and It’s Only Love.
Additionally, George Harrison used the high distinctive sound of this 12-string to record a guitar rhythm in the song Norwegian Wood.
Later, Lennon gave the guitar to Scottish musician Gordon Waller, a member of the famous duo Peter and Gordon, for which he wrote songs with Paul McCartney. Waller gave it to his tour manager, who threw the instrument in the attic – and happily forgot about it.
An important finding
Years later, the guitar was discovered by the new owners of the tour manager’s house in the British countryside. They realized that we were talking about an unusual instrument, established its history, and put it up for auction.
Experts believe that the Hootenanny will be sold for approximately 485-647 thousand pounds, but the real price during the auction held at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe is much higher.
“This guitar is not only important to the history of music, it also serves as a symbol of John Lennon’s creative legacy,” said David Goodman, head of Julien’s Auctions. “The record set today at this auction shows that the music of the Beatles and John Lennon is timeless and unconditionally revered.”
Not for the first time
Musical instruments associated with the history of the Beatles, the most important group in the history of rock music, sold for incredible amounts back then.
In 2015, Julien’s Auctions sold Lennon’s 160E Gibson acoustic guitar, which was stolen from him in the late 1960s. The price of the instrument is $2.4 million. In addition, Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit sold for $2.2 million.
And recently we discovered an even more famous Beatles instrument: Paul McCartney’s Höfner bass guitar, which is considered one of the most recognizable symbols of the group.
The guitar was stolen in the late 1960s, and last fall McCartney launched a campaign to find it. The efforts were crowned with success: the instrument also spent many years in the attic, but it was found and returned to the owner. McCartney has no plans to sell the instrument yet, although he may set a new record.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.