The Beatles George Harrison Personally Owned, Played & Signed Höfner Guitar Also Played by John Lennon & Paul McCartney.
A late 1950s Höfner electric guitar that was personally owned and played by George Harrison in Hamburg with The Beatles. The guitar was also played by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. It was likely purchased by Harrison in Hamburg, Germany, in 1960 or 1961. The Beatles first arrived in Hamburg to play on August 17, 1960; and later came back on March 27, 1961, playing for 98 consecutive days until July 2, 1961. The band later returned on April 13 the next year, until May 31; and once again between November 1 to November 14; and between December 18 to December 31. It took until the summer of 1966 when The Beatles returned to Germany. John Lennon famously said “I might have been born in Liverpool – but I grew up in Hamburg”; and it’s fair to say that Hamburg played a massive role in The Beatles’ success, hence making this guitar extremely important.
Note that the guitar is signed by George Harrison on the back, but no ink is visible since it’s faded (yet somewhat visible with the correct light angle), therefore it’s not possible to acquire third-party authentication for the signature.
The guitar, which is made in Germany, with a beautiful red finish, has exceptional provenance since it belonged to Allan Williams, who was the original booking agent and the first manager of The Beatles. Williams had an important role in The Beatles playing in Hamburg, which was the first time The Beatles ever played outside of England. In fact, Williams was the one who drove the van to take the young musicians to Hamburg in 1960. The guitar was later sold by Williams to his friend Sam Leach who also worked with The Beatles as he was the band’s promoter in 1961 and 1962. Leach writes in his 2014 signed letter of provenance which accompanies this guitar, "I purchased the guitar in 1987 or 1988 by Allan Williams, who had a collection of Beatles items including George Harrison’s guitar.”
Also comes with a Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.