Missing during more than half a century among moving boxes in an attic rural England, the emblematic John Lennon’s Framus Hootenanny twelve-string acoustic, guitar of the historic ‘Help!’goes out to auction to beat records.
Soul of the mythical British band in the sixtiesits golden age, was used in the ‘Help!’ albums and ‘Rubber Soul’ (both in 1965) by the hands of George Harrison and John Lennon.
“It is a historical guitar,” he told EFE. Martin Nolan, expert and CEO of auction house Julien’s Auctionsin charge of finding a new owner on Next May 29 in New York.
Lennon, As the story goes, he gave it to his Scottish friend and guitarist Gordon Waller (1945-2009), part of the duo ‘Peter and Gordon’who were very close to the Beatlesand this in turn to his tour manager, says Nolan.
“The manager had the guitar for years in the attic, and in the move it was from one to the other” until in his last resting placeHer son was throwing everything away, getting rid of boxes, and he discovered her.”, he relates Nolan. The case, he explains, “was in very bad condition, but kept it perfect”.
A guitar with history
“Is a beautiful guitar, twelve strings with a beautiful and unusual sound”, tuned by six ivory white pegs, which was used by the Liverpulian group when “they were on the crest of the wave”, expresses the expert in the Beatles.
Lennon, Paul McCartney, Harrison and Ringo Star They were returning from a journey in Americawith appearance on the television program ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ included. According to Nolan“they felt somewhat frustrated with their fame, they were young… This guitar makes extraordinary musicdisappeared and now reappears. It’s a piece of art”.
The instrument underwent a thorough analysis to confirm its authenticity: “They match the wood grains, 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 physical evidence, The photographs were compared: “Ringo, John, George and Paul are all there.”, as well as the guitar snapshots with them in the studio… There is no doubt, it is the guitar. “It’s in great condition.”
Record auction
“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 bought for about 47 pounds (54 euros) in 1964and now, “on a conservative estimate, would reach 600,000 to 800,000 US dollars (560,000 to 750,000 euros)”, says the executive director of Julien’s.
The auction house managed to mark the Guinness record in 2020 with the sale of Kurt Cobain’s guitar in his legendary ‘MTV Unplugged’ from 1993, six million dollars (5.6 million euros).
“I could even score a new world record and sell yourself for more,” exhorts Nolan. “Are the Beatlesat a very important moment, he touched her John, Georgewho sadly are no longer among us, and Ringo recently he also played it.
He quartet drummer contacted Martin and his team upon learning of her reappearance, and touched her upon his reunion with herreveals to EFE.
“All of this influences its value, and is what excites bidders,” says the executive director of the bidding that will take place in New York at the end of this month.
“Be a museum, an investor, a Beatles fan, or just a collector? “We don’t know, the auction will dictate,” he says. Nolan. “Maybe we will see it again on stage, in the hands of very famous bands in the very near future.”
