Guitars

[Carruthers]

I'm a stranger in these parts so please don't tell me to get off your land.

However, earlier this month a guitar was brought in for valuation on the Antiques Road Show and I thought that the story might be of interest to the assembled throng.

Guitar once owned by The Beatles valued at £400,000 on Antiques Roadshow

The guitar is now owned by a man who once worked with George Harrison.

A guitar that once belonged to Beatles members John Lennon and George Harrison received a valuation of up to £400,000 on BBC One’s Antiques Roadshow.

The instrument is unique in that it doesn’t have any frets, making it more challenging to play than a regular guitar.

The current owner, Ray, recalled that even Beatles guitarist George Harrison couldn’t get along with its unconventional design.

“You’re definitely getting more out of it than I am. It’s doing better for you, why don’t you have it,” he reportedly told Ray, who was then recording sessions for a film company that Harrison co-founded.

Little did he know that several decades later it would be worth a small fortune, with Antiques Roadshow expert Jon Baddeley giving it a staggering estimate between £300,000 and £400,000.

He explained: “To a guitar collector, it’s initially a very rare guitar.

Then to somebody who’s a Beatles fan, to own a guitar that was once owned by both John Lennon and George Harrison, can you get a better history? Two of the most important rock stars of the 20th Century.”

Nonetheless, Ray expressed no intention to sell the cherished item which he said he still plays regularly to this day.

The episode was filmed at Battle Abbey in Sussex, which was built on the site of the Battle of Hastings.

Link

There's a four minute clip of the appraisal in the link below.

As such I don't think it will fall foul of the copyright rules that prevent complete programmes being viewable outside the UK.

Anyway, I hope that there is something of interest to you guitar aficionados and I'll now get off your land.

Link

PS £1 = $1.19 as of this morning.