The twelve-string Hootenanny instrument from the German manufacturer Framus can be seen in several pictures from studio sessions for the album “Help!” and also featured in the 1965 Beatles film of the same name. It is now scheduled to go under the hammer at Julien’s Auctions in New York at the end of May.
“Like Rembrandt or Picasso”
The estimated price is between 600,000 and 800,000 US dollars (around 560,000 to 750,000 euros), as the auction house announced on Tuesday. “Finding this extraordinary instrument is like finding a Rembrandt or Picasso,” enthused Julien’s Auctions managing director Darren Julien, according to the statement. Accordingly, the guitar ended up in a detour in the attic in southern England, where it was said to have slumbered for more than 50 years.
Looking for a new owner
John Lennon gave it to musician Gordon Waller in 1965, who passed it on to his manager. They now found his heirs in the attic of a house, the message said. The auction house decided to have the guitar extensively refurbished so that it might be played once more. It will now be displayed at the Hard Rock Cafes in London and New York before finding a new owner at auction on May 29th and 30th.
Image gallery: A band that changed the world: The Beatles
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