Ringo Starr is reunited with John Lennon's long-lost 12-string Help! guitar

26 April 2024, 11:01

The Beatles – Help! DVD trailer

If you have a few quid spare, you could soon own a piece of musical history.

Not that long ago, Paul McCartney was reunited with his classic llost Höfner bass that was stolen in 1972.

And now, another classic Beatles instrument has been found.

• Let It Be: Why the re-release of a 50-year-old Beatles movie actually matters
• 'Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love': The story of the previous "new" Beatles songs
• Listen to the Gold 60s Live Playlist on Global Player, the official Gold app

John Lennon's Framus 12-string Hootenanny guitar which he used during the making of 1965's classic Help! album has been discovered after spending half a century in a loft.

You can hear the instrument all over the album, including on 'Help!', 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', 'I've Just Seen A Face' and 'It's Only Love', as well as on Rubber Soul's 'Girl' and 'Norwegian Wood' from later that year.

And in The Beatles' Help! movie, Lennon is seen playing the 12-string during their performance of 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away'.

The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (From Help!)

The guitar was recently found in an attic in the UK after being unseen for over half a century, according to Julien's Auctions, which is offering the instrument for sale at its upcoming Music Icons auction on May 29 and 30 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York and online.

If you're interested in buying the 12-string, the estimated price is a whopping $800,000 (£650,000).

But if you just want a peek at music history, the guitar and other memorabilia will be on display in the window of Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus in London for free till Monday April 29 from 10am-11pm.

And while you're in town, you can visit Hard Rock Cafe London, Old Park Lane for a free tour of London's only Rock n’ Roll museum, The Vault, including more items that belonged to John Lennon, Paul McCartney and other stars.

Before its upcoming sale, the instrument had a Beatles reunion, when drummer Ringo Starr gave it a strum.

"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," said auction house co-founder Darren Julien.

"To awaken this sleeping beauty is a sacred honor and is a great moment for music, Julien's, Beatles and auction history."