The instrument was used during the recording of The Beatles’ 1965 album ‘Help!’
Julien’s Auctions has sold John Lennon’s long-lost 1964 Framus Hootenanny acoustic guitar. The 12-string instrument had not been seen in public for more than 50 years.
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Lost Treasure
Lennon’s guitar, played by both him and George Harrison, was featured for The Beatles’ 1965 albums Help! and Rubber Soul.
Seen in photographs during the recording sessions, producer George Martin wrote in his notes that Lennon and Harrison used the Hootenanny in the song “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”
The instrument can also be heard in the songs “It’s Only Love,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” and “Help!” In the Rubber Soul album, they used the guitar in “Girl” and “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).”
According to the auction house, Lennon gifted the guitar to Gordon Waller of Peter & Gordon at the end of 1965. Waller then gave the guitar to one of his road managers
Decades later, the instrument was rediscovered in an attic. The new owners were living in the rural British countryside and in the middle of a move. They decided to put it up for auction, where it was given an estimate of $800,000.
Successful Auction
Lennon’s Framus Hootenanny guitar was part of Julien’s Auctions’ two-day Music Icons sale. The auction also featured items belonging to Prince, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, and many more.
The successful buyer obtained it through a telephone bid at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York. The auction house stated that it is now the fifth most expensive guitar ever sold. It’s also the band’s highest-selling guitar at auction in Beatles history.
Other instruments that fetched hefty prices include Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson’s 1965 Fender Telecaster ($650,000) and Jerry Garcia’s Travis Bean electric guitar ($520,000).
Julien’s Auctions wrote that the sale of Lennon’s guitar is a “poignant reminder of the enduring legacy of the Beatles and the indelible mark they left on the world.”
“It is a testament to the power of music to transcend time and connect people across generations. The guitar may have found a new home, but its melody will continue to echo in the hearts and minds of music lovers everywhere.”
Banner photos courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
