A GUITAR once played by John Lennon has set a new record as the most expensive Beatle-owned instrument ever sold at auction.
The Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar fetched an astonishing US$2.9 million (RM13.6 million) via a telephone bid at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York.
The guitar, presumed lost for over 50 years, was discovered in an attic. It was used by Lennon to record songs for the Beatles’ 1965 album Help! and its accompanying film, contributing to some of the band’s most iconic hits of the 60s.
The sale was conducted by Julien’s Auctions, a rock & roll memorabilia auction house known for breaking world records with the sale of Beatles items.
“We are absolutely thrilled and honoured to have set a new world record with the sale of Lennon’s lost Hootenanny guitar,” said Julien’s Auctions chief executive David Goodman in a statement.
“This guitar is not only a piece of music history but a symbol of Lennon’s enduring legacy. Today’s unprecedented sale is a testament to the timeless appeal and reverence of the Beatles’ music and Lennon.”
After its use by the Beatles, the guitar was owned by Scottish guitarist Gordon Waller, half of the pop duo Peter & Gordon. Waller later gave the instrument to his band’s road managers. Decades later, it was rediscovered by new owners in the rural British countryside.
Following his discovery of the guitar, Andy Babiuk and Beatles historian Danny Bennett examined it and confirmed that it was the same instrument that Lennon had used.
This sale surpasses the previous record set by another of Lennon’s guitars, a long-lost Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar. That instrument, used by Lennon to compose and record hits like I Want to Hold Your Hand and All My Loving, sold for US$2.41 million at Julien’s Auctions.
Other notable sales of Beatles memorabilia include Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum kit, which sold for US$2.2 million, and a copy of the White Album owned by him.
