George Harrison’s First Electric Guitar Up for Auction
The first electric guitar owned by George Harrison will be auctioned on May 19, with an expected value of between $200,000 and $300,000.
Auctioneers Juliens will conduct the sale as part of a rock memorabilia sale at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City.
“Harrison played the Hoffner Club 40 when the Beatles played around Liverpool, England, as The Quarrymen,” Juliens said on Instagram. “Harrison traded his acoustic guitar for the electric model with Ray Ennis, who was a member of the Swinging Blue Jeans. Harrison donated it to a band competition in 1965 and it was won by a member of a German band who died in 2017. His widow is putting it up for auction.”
A 1965 Fender Telecaster owned by the Band’s Robbie Robertson -- and played by Harrison, Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan -- is also up for auction. It's estimated to sell for between $400,000 and $600,000.
A record label called HariSongs, devoted to Harrison's archive of Indian and world music, also recently launched with the release of two out-of-print titles, Chants of India and Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan's Live In Concert 1972.
“In 1966, through the grace of God, my life was blessed and enhanced from the sudden desire to investigate the classical music of India," Harrison said in 1973 (via AXS). "Although intellectually, I could not comprehend it – the music made more sense to me than anything I had heard in my life. When I read Ravi saying he felt he had only started, I was overwhelmed, humbled and encouraged to try and understand the music and the man much more. … I hope this music may help a little, to nurture the wealth of the West. God only knows.”