John Lennon’s Guitar That Was Lost For 50 Years Finally Sells For $2.85 Million At Auction

John Lennon’s 12-string Framus Hootenanny guitar broke the record as one of the most expensive guitars of all time after selling for $2.85 million at auction. The famous 1964 guitar was reportedly missing for five decades since Lennon and George Harrison played it for “Help!” “Rubber Soul” and a few more hits.

The auction house, which conducted the bargain at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, New York City, has yet to disclose how it discovered the lost instrument. However, Lennon reportedly gifted it to Peter & Gordon’s Gordon Waller back then. The German-made guitar came with a case and some memorabilia, including a DVD of “Help!”

How did John Lennon’s guitar get lost?

 

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After a while, Gordon handed his guitar gift to his manager, who kept it in his attic for years until its discovery. Beatles gear expert and author Andy Babiuk confirmed it to be authentic thanks to the tortoiseshell pickguard and markings on the wood. He noted that a few other Beatles guitars were still missing, and finding one of Lennon’s was a historical moment.

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This rare find’s selling price is about $450,000 higher than that of another Gibson acoustic guitar also owned by Lennon, which sold at a California auction in 2015. The iconic Framus piece features songs like “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” and “Norwegian Wood.” Julien’s Auctions describes it as “an audio time capsule from 1965” and “a direct link” to some of The Fab Four’s hits.

More rare Beatles’ instruments

Lennon’s prized guitar is now in possession of an undisclosed buyer, whom the auction house described as “the custodian of a piece of Lennon’s soul.” This sale comes after one of the Beatles’ lost bass guitars was returned to Paul McCartney after it had been stolen in 1972. The 1961 Höfner 500/1 guitar belonging to Paul was with a family in Hastings, Southern England, until the Lost Bass project set out to recover it.

Like Lennon’s $2.58 million acoustic guitar, Paul bought his in Germany for $30 and had it custom-made and left-hand friendly. The bass lent its unique sound to songs like “Please Please Me” and “She Loves You” and often came with Paul during gigs at The Cavern in Liverpool at their early start. It was also found intact with its original case, maintaining its beautiful exterior and in good condition save for minor repairs.