Missing for more than half a century among moving boxes in an attic in rural England, John Lennon’s iconic Framus Hootenanny twelve-string acoustic guitar, guitar from the historic ‘Help!’, goes up for auction to break records.
Soul of the legendary British band in the sixties, its golden era, it was used in the albums ‘Help!’ and ‘Rubber Soul’ (both in 1965) by the hands of George Harrison and John Lennon. “It is a historic guitar,” Martin Nolan, expert and executive director of the auction house Julien’s Auctions, in charge of finding it a new owner on May 29 in New York, tells EFE.
Lennon, the story goes, gave it to his friend and Scottish guitarist Gordon Waller (1945-2009), part of the duo ‘Peter and Gordon’, who were very close to The Beatles, and he in turn gave it to his tour manager. says Nolan.
“The manager had the guitar for years in the attic, and during the move it went from one to another” until in his final resting place “his son was throwing everything away, getting rid of boxes and discovered it,” says Nolan. The case, he explains, “was in very bad condition, but he kept it perfect.”
“It is a beautiful guitar, twelve strings with a beautiful and unusual sound”, tuned by six ivory white pegs, which was used by the Liverpool group when “they were on the crest of the wave”, says the expert on The Beatles.
Lennon, Paul McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Starr were returning from a trip to America, including an appearance on the television program ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’. According to Nolan, “they felt somewhat frustrated with their fame, they were young… This guitar makes extraordinary music, it disappeared and now reappears. It is a piece of art.”
The instrument underwent a thorough analysis to confirm its authenticity: “The wood grain matches, which are like the fingerprints and DNA of the guitar,” he explains, “and the synthetic pickguard, which is like a turtle shell, but synthetic.” ”.
In addition to the physical evidence, photographs were also compared: “Ringo, John, George and Paul are all there, as well as the snapshots of the guitar with them in the studio… There is no doubt, it is the guitar. “It’s in great condition.”
“It is history of our pop culture. It’s a great discovery. The Beatles are still one of the most famous bands in the world today,” says Nolan prior to the bidding.
The Framus Hootenanny in question was purchased for around 47 pounds (54 euros) in 1964, and now, “on a conservative estimate, it would fetch 600,000 to 800,000 US dollars (560,000 to 750,000 euros),” says the CEO of Julien’s.
The auction house managed to set the Guinness record in 2020 with the sale of Kurt Cobain’s guitar in his legendary 1993 ‘MTV Unplugged’, six million dollars (5.6 million euros).
“It could even set a new world record and sell for more,” exhorts Nolan. “It’s The Beatles, at a very important moment, John played it, George, who sadly are no longer with us, and Ringo recently played it too.”
The quartet’s drummer contacted Martin and his team upon learning of her reappearance, and played it during his reunion with her, he reveals to EFE.
“All of this influences its value, and that is what excites bidders,” says the executive director of the auction that will take place in New York at the end of this month.
“Will it be a museum, an investor, a Beatles fan, or just a collector? We don’t know, the auction will dictate,” says Nolan. “Maybe we will see it again on stage, in the hands of very famous bands in the very near future.”
