Rare Beatles Guitar To Be Exhibited
Julien’s Auctions has announced an exclusive London exhibit and unveiling of the very rare Beatles VOX guitar played by both John Lennon and George Harrison.
The guitar will be on display for a very limited time at the The Stafford London by Kempinski located at St. James Place 16-18 in London from Thursday May 9, 2013 through Saturday May 11, 2013 only.
Fans of The Beatles and music enthusiasts can view the exceptional historic guitar on display in the main lobby area during this limited engagement. The guitar will depart for the United States on May 12th where it will be auctioned in New York later that week. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the very rare musical instrument will only take place during the week at the exclusive 5-star hotel.
A custom made prototype guitar made in 1966 and played by both John Lennon and George Harrison. The guitar was built by Mike Bennett with electronics by Dick Denney of Vox guitars. Harrison can be seen rehearsing with the guitar on “I Am the Walrus” during the “Magical Mystery Tour” (September 18-24, 1967).
Lennon can be seen playing it as part of the promotional video for “Hello, Goodbye” but it is not seen in the final version of the video that was released. Lennon gifted the guitar to “Magic Alex” Mardas. A plaque affixed to the back of the guitar reads “To Magic Alex/ Alexi thank you/ for been [sic] a friend/ 2-5-1967 John.”
According to Madras the date refers to his 25th birthday earlier that year and not the date the guitar was given to him. This guitar was not originally designed as part of the Vox Kensington line but it has become known as such. The guitar has an intriguing place in Beatles history.
The estimate is $200,000 – $300,000