A rare George Harrison guitar - one of the most significant Instruments played by The Beatles' star during his historic career has been unveiled at The Beatles Story, where visitors will be able to view the iconic instrument, before it heads to the auction stage in November.
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00:00George Harrison's Futurama guitar, one of the Beatle legends most significant and most
00:06played guitars in all of Fab Four history, will go to the highest bidder in Nashville
00:10in an event by Julian's Auctions.
00:13In really good condition when you think about the age of it from 1959, played over 324 times
00:19by George Harrison with the Beatles, Hamburg, Germany on numerous shows and here in the
00:24cavern in Liverpool. This is the Futurama guitar that was bought by George on hire purchase
00:30signed for by his mum. He had to make a down payment and 48 payments, 44, 48 payments after
00:36that.
00:37In 1959 George Harrison purchased this Futurama guitar at Hessey's Music Store in Liverpool.
00:42Estimated 600 to 800 thousand US dollars but I think it should break a million. Pretty
00:48good for a guitar that was bought costing about £74 including the hire purchase fees
00:54and commissions.
00:55In 1964 George Harrison donated the guitar to Beat Instrumental Magazine as a competition
01:00prize for a contest. The winner however decided to take the cash prize rather than the guitar
01:06which then stayed with the magazine editor.
01:09Incredible to think they were trying to promote the Beatles and still make them famous when
01:13you look back at how famous they became. But of course like any other band they had to
01:16work hard, do the grind to become who they became to sort of bring this guitar back home
01:22to Liverpool. This is where it began.
01:24An exhibition of the guitar is on display in the Beatles Story until Thursday October
01:2817th before making other stops in Europe until its appearance on the auction stage at Nashville's
01:33Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in November.
01:37Hopefully the person who wins the bid, hopefully they'll send it back here to the Beatles Story.
01:42Where else would you put it on public display? We're here, we're open 35 years coming up
01:48so it's in the city where it started. It was purchased here, George purchasing his hometown
01:55so why would you put it anywhere else but here?