Los Angeles : George Harrison’s Maton Mastersound guitar, used during the Beatles’ live performances in the summer of 1963, sold for USD 485,000 at Julien’s Auctions.
The auction, which focused entirely on unique items from throughout music history, also featured a black sequined glove worn by Michael Jackson, a stage-worn tank top donned by Madonna and Elvis Presley’s marriage certificate and tour bus.
But it was Harrison’s used guitar that sold for the highest bid at the auction, which took place at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe, reported Rolling Stone magazine.
According to Julien’s, the Maton guitar was lent to Harrison by Barratt’s Music Store while the Beatle’s legendary Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar was being repaired.
Harrison played the Maton at nearly a dozen concerts during July and August 1963, including a hometown gig in Liverpool.
The Maton was eventually returned to Barratt’s and sold soon after to Dave Berry and the Cruisers guitarist Roy Barber. After years of use, the Maton sat in a storage locker for two decades until Barber’s widow auctioned it off at Sotheby’s.
Thirteen years later, Harrison’s guitar was back on the auction block, where it was estimated to sell for between USD 400,000 and USD 600,000.
