John Lennon’s Long-Lost ‘Help!’ Guitar Could Fetch Up to $800,000 at Auction
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Julien’s Auctions wants to help you live out your Fab Four fantasy.
The L.A. auction house is auctioning off what it claims is the most historically important Beatles guitars in rock ‘n’ roll history next month. Once owned by late Beatles frontman John Lennon, the famous Framus Hootenanny was featured on many of the band’s hit songs and also appeared in the Help! movie. The instrument is expected to fetch between $600,000 and $800,000 (£485,000–£647,000) at Julien’s two-day Music Icons sale in May, but the auction house believes it could eclipse that estimate and set a new record price for a Beatles guitar. (Lennon’s $2.41 million J-160E Gibson is currently the most expensive Beatles guitar sold at auction.)
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German firm Framus made the Hootenanny in the early 1960s. Lennon acquired the 12-string acoustic guitar in late 1964, then debuted it in the Help! recording sessions in 1965. The instrument can be heard on iconic Beatles tracks, such as “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “It’s Only Love,” “I’ve Just Seen A Face,” and “Help!” George Harrison also used it to play the rhythm guitar part on “Norwegian Wood.” In addition, the guitar can be spotted in multiple scenes from 1965’s Help!
By the mid to late ‘60s, the Framus fell into the hands of Gordon Waller of the pop duo Peter and Gordon. He gave the guitar to his road managers, after which it disappeared into the abyss for half a century. The current owners recently found the instrument in the attic of their home in the British countryside and contacted Julien’s. The auction house’s head honchos Darren Julien and Martin Nolan immediately traveled to the U.K. to verify the guitar with the help of Beatles historians Andy Babiuk and Danny Bennett. Julien and Nolan also found the original Australian-made Maton guitar case in the home.
“The discovery of John Lennon’s “Help!” guitar that was believed to be lost is considered the greatest find of a Beatles guitar since Paul McCartney’s lost 1961 Höfner bass guitar,” Julien said in a statement. “Finding this remarkable instrument is like finding a lost Rembrandt or Picasso, and it still looks and plays like a dream after having been preserved in an attic for more than 50 years.”
Julien’s Music Icons auction will take place live at Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online on May 29 and 30. Before the sale, auction highlights will be displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in London from April 23 to 29 and the Hard Rock Cafe in New York from May 22 to 28.
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