NEW YORK — John Lennon’s long-lost Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar has been rediscovered and is coming to auction. The guitar and its original Maton case will be offered at Julien’s on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 as part of the Music Icons sale. It has an estimate of $600,000-$800,000.
The Hootenanny, long believed to have been lost, was used by Lennon in the recording of The Beatles’ Help! album (it featured on the singles Help! and You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away), and was played by George Harrison on the rhythm track for Norwegian Wood.
According to Julien’s, it was recently found in an attic in a home in the British countryside during a house move. Executive directors and co-founders Darren Julien and Martin Nolan traveled to the UK to view it and confirm the discovery.
Darren Julien describes it as “the greatest find of a Beatles guitar since Paul McCartney’s lost 1961 Höfner bass guitar. It still looks and plays like a dream after having been preserved in an attic for more than 50 years.” He believes it could set a new auction record for the highest-selling Beatles guitar, currently standing at $2.4 million bid at Julien’s in 2015 for the Gibson J-160E acoustic used by Lennon and McCartney to write and perform songs during 1962 and 1963.
Julien’s Music Icons sale, which will be staged at the Hard Rock Café in Manhattan, includes a remarkable array of star-touched guitars. Back at auction after almost 20 years is Prince’s yellow Cloud 3. One of his centerpiece instruments, it was used on stage from the mid-80s to the early 90s, including during the Purple Rain, Parade, Sign of the Times, Lovesexy, and Diamonds & Pearls tours.
Julien’s verified the Cloud 3’s provenance by conducting a full CT scan and interviewing Dave Rusan, the luthier behind its creation in 1985. Previously sold by Christie’s for £4,200 (about $5,280) in 2005 and then on Ebay for a price less than its original listing of £59,000 ($74,240), it is now estimated at $400,000-$600,000.
Julien’s has previously sold Prince’s yellow Cloud ($225,000), his ‘Blue Angel’ Cloud 2 ($563,500), and his blue teal Cloud ($700,000).
