A little bit of electric guitar auction history was made yesterday (20 November) when George Harrison’s iconic Futurama was sold for $1.27 million, a world record fee for one of the former Beatles’ guitars.
The event, hosted by Julien’s Auctions, also saw one of the most historically significant and downright awesome Fender Stratocasters sell for big money as Mary Kaye’s original 1956 Strat fetched $222,250. But as forecasted, it was Harrison’s Futurama that was the star of the show.
What wasn’t expected was the fee. This was more than twice the estimated value of the guitar. What makes it all the more remarkable is that the Futurama is hardly what you would call a high-end build. It is not one of Harrison’s vintage Gretsch guitars. It is not his Rocky Strat.
Harrison paid just £58 for this oddball electric. Ironically, he picked it up on 20 November 1959 from Hessy’s music shop in Liverpool, and 65 years later to the day it broke the one-million dollar barrier.
“George Harrison’s iconic Futurama guitar, one of the most important guitars in rock and roll history and formative to The Beatles’ sound, has made history at today’s auction,” said Martin Nolan, executive director, Julien’s Auctions. “We’re beyond thrilled to add this Harrison guitar to the Julien’s Auctions’ million-dollar club, which already includes guitars from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Kurt Cobain.”
That it commanded such a price speaks to its place in Beatles history. It was there from the start. Harrison took it to Hamburg as the Beatles launched their career onstage, playing night after night, a gruelling apprenticeship that whipped them into shape. It also featured on early Beatles recordings.
Made in the former Czechoslovakia and imported by Selmer’s, the Futurama has a cult appeal. Just look at it. It’s got that pawnshop curio vibe, with its plastic pickguard, pickup coverings and controls looking as though they were sourced from Fisher Price.
Harrison wasn’t alone in recognising its charms. Merseybeat icon Gerry Marsden owned one, as did Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
Harrison’s Futurama is an early model, with the 1/4” jack input mounted at an angle on the front top of the body, just like a Strat. Later it would be repositioned to the side of the body. The fingerboard would be dyed to look like the rosewood fingerboards that Fender started rolling out in 1959.
Other big sales from the auction included blues guitar pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s 1939 Gibson L5 Archtop, which went for $76,200, and Eric Clapton’s own stage-played and autographed Custom Shop signature Strat, which changed hands for $65,000.
