Beatle’s loan guitar could fetch $772K

LONDON: The Australianmade guitar George Harrison was photographed wearing at The Beatles’ final appearance at The Cavern Club in Liverpool is to go under the hammer.

The instrument, a Maton Mastersound MS500, is expected to fetch in the region of £300,000 ($NZ579,000) to £400,000 ($772,000) when sold in Wiltshire next month.

The Maton guitar was played by Harrison during the summer of 1963 after instrument repair shop Barratts of Manchester loaned it to him while his regular guitar was repaired.

Harrison was so taken with the Maton he continued to use it for a series of performances and was photographed with it at The Beatles’ final appearance at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club on August 3, 1963.

After Harrison eventually returned the Maton guitar to Barratts, it was bought by Roy Barber, the guitarist with Dave Berry And The Cruisers, who went on to have hits with Memphis, Tennessee and The Crying Game.

The guitar remained in storage for several decades but after Barber’s death in 2000, it was exhibited at The Beatles Story museum in Liverpool and auctioned in New York in 2015 for $US485,000 ($NZ720,000).

The guitar, which is being sold by a UK private collector, will be auctioned on September 12.

‘‘This guitar is something very special — a direct link to the early days of Beatlemania and those eradefining gigs at The Cavern Club. Just touching it makes your fingers tingle,’’ auctioneer Luke Hobbs said.

‘‘We’re expecting interest from right around the world.’’

A pair of customised RayBan sunglasses from the late 1970s to early 1980s made especially for Harrison, who died in 2001, are expected to fetch more than £3000. — PA