This is the 1960s-era Rickenbacker electric guitar that was played by John Lennon during the band’s residency at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in December and January of 1964.
Lennon would later gift it to Ringo Starr, who kept it as a prized possession for over 45 years before eventually selling it in 2015 to support his Lotus Foundation charity.
History Speedrun: A John Lennon Rickenbacker
John Lennon had been closely identified with Rickenbacker guitars since 1960, when he picked up his first 325 model in Hamburg, Germany. He painted that one black in 1962 and eventually replaced it with a brand new black 325 Rickenbacker that was delivered directly from Rickenbacker’s California factory during the Beatles’ first US visit in February of 1964.
Above Video: This is the original first take of The Beatles Christmas message in 1964, the same era when Lennon was playing the guitar you see in this story. Even many lifelong Beatles fans haven’t heard this Christmas message, where you can hear the members of the band riffing and just generally messing around with each other.
During the band’s residency at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in December of 1964 (a variety show called “Another Beatles’ Christmas Show“) Lennon damaged the neck of his 1964 guitar after dropping it offstage.
British Rickenbacker distributor Rose-Morris stepped in with a replacement from their stock – the slightly different model 1996, which was essentially just a version of the 325 redesigned with traditional f-holes to better appeal to the European market.
Lennon played the Rose-Morris Rickenbacker for the remainder of the Christmas shows, which ran through until mid-January of 1965. The shows were a mix of music, pantomime, and comedy, with support acts including the Yardbirds (featuring a young Eric Clapton), Freddie and the Dreamers, and others.
Rose-Morris seized the marketing opportunity, featuring Lennon in advertisements with the tagline “Rickenbacker: the Beatle backer.” Once Lennon’s original 325 was repaired, the 1996 was retired to his home studio at Kenwood, where it was later photographed in 1967.
The guitar’s story took an interesting turn in September of 1968. During the tense White Album recording sessions, Ringo Starr briefly quit the band, flying to Sardinia for a two-week break on Peter Sellers’ yacht, this was the trip that inspired him to write “Octopus’s Garden.”
This is the 1960s-era Rickenbacker electric guitar that was played extensively by John Lennon during the band’s residency at London’s Hammersmith Odeon in December and January 1964.
When Starr returned to the studio at the band’s request, Lennon gave him the little red Rickenbacker as a gift to encourage his songwriting, noting it would suit Ringo well given its smaller size. Starr treasured the guitar for over 45 years, later describing it as one of his “prized possessions,” before eventually parting with it at a 2015 auction benefiting his Lotus Foundation charity.
“I had a rest and the holiday was great, Ringo recalls in The Beatles Anthology. I knew we were all in a messed-up stage. It wasn’t just me; the whole thing was going down. I had definitely left, I couldn’t take it any more… I got a telegram saying, ‘You’re the best rock’n’roll drummer in the world. Come on home, we love you.’ And so I came back.”
“We all needed that little shake-up. When I got back to the studio I found George had had it decked out with flowers – there were flowers everywhere. I told them that I had been writing some songs, Starr told Andy Babiuk in 2010, so the next day John came in and gave me his little red Rickenbacker. He thought it would fit me well as it’s a bit smaller and that I should use it to write more songs… it’s one of my prize possessions.” – Ringo Starr
Lennon would later gift the Rickenbacker to Ringo Starr, who kept it as a prized possession for over 45 years before eventually selling it in 2015 to support his Lotus Foundation charity.
That Rickenbacker remains in remarkably well-preserved condition, looking almost brand new in the images in the auction listing. Instruments owned and played by members of The Beatles always tend to sell for hefty figures, and this one belonged to two Beatles at different times.
It’s now bring offered for sale by Christie’s with a hardshell case, a modern flight case and a modern burr-wood wall-mounted display cabinet. The price guide is $800,000 – $1,000,000 USD and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more about it or place a bid.
Images courtesy of Christie’s
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
