This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2023
The Beatles John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison Played 1962 Vintage Fender Stratocaster From the Collection of Chris Montez.
Offered here is a "Holy Grail" item in terms of Beatles memorabilia, Chris Montez's original 1962 Fender Stratocaster from his touring days with the Beatles, which has been played by each Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison backstage during the tour.
On March 9th, 1963, Chris Montez & Tommy Roe embarked on a short tour in the UK with the Beatles.
The Chris Montez/Tommy Roe tour was only the Beatles' second British tour and followed immediately on the heels of the Helen Shapiro tour February 2 to March 3. This tour had them playing in twenty-one cities in twenty-three days, often two shows a day. They closed out the first act, generally playing a six-song set consisting of "Love Me Do,", "Misery," "A Taste of Honey," "Do You Want To Know A Secret," "Please Please Me," and "I Saw Her Standing There"; Chris Montez then closed the show. There are some events of note from the tour. March 12-14: John Lennon missed these three dates due to a sore throat and cold. They performed as a three-piece band with George taking John's place on vocals. March 22: their first LP album, Please Please Me, was released while they were in Doncaster. It had been recorded in one day-long session the month before during a break in the Shapiro tour. March 24: This is a date that could be easily overlooked as significant in Beatle history. The tour was playing a date at the Empire Theatre in the lads' hometown of Liverpool. Because of this, Chris Montez graciously gave them his slot to close the show. This would essentially be the first major tour show that the Beatles actually headlined.
Throughout the tour, The Beatles were fascinated with not only Chris, but his guitar. The Beatles members never owned a Fender guitar, so they marveled at Chris beautiful 1962 Fender Stratocaster. Each of the band members, John Lennon, Paul McCartney & George Harrison played the guitar frequently backstage, before and after performances. They loved the feel of it and even played new songs they were considering for their performances on stage.
Any Beatles played instrument sells for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars. This is an opportunity to own a guitar used by the Beatles during the beginning of their fame. The fact this relic still exists is incredible.
Authentication: Letter of Authenticity from Chris Montez and a Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.