Posted on 06/10/2015 10:21:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A San Diego man discovered the guitar he had unwittingly jammed on for the better part of 45 years once belonged to the legendary John Lennon, stolen from the Beatles in 1963.
The story of the long-lost guitar began in 1962, when Lennon and George Harrison picked up two, store-ordered Gibson J-160Es in Liverpool. Lennon played his on tour for about 15 months, until it went missing after a pre-Christmas performance in London.
In 1969, it landed in the hands of John McCaw, a San Diego building contractor. He told NBC 7 that a friend had unknowingly bought Lennon’s instrument in a local music shop a couple of years earlier. That friend sold it to McCaw for about $175.
Forty-five years later -- after decades of using it to teach his sons and strumming on it during amateur jam sessions -- McCaw began to realize what he had.
"Went through a lot of different emotions. The first one was excitement,” said McCaw. “Then started to be overwhelmed, realizing what we did have, what it meant and could mean to the world.”
The realization dawned on McCaw when he opened a 2012 issue of Guitar Aficionado last year and saw a picture of George Harrison’s guitar between the folds. It matched McCaw’s.
Wanting to confirm his hope, McCaw and his friends reached out to international experts to authenticate that the Gibson was once Lennon’s. It helped that Lennon had played the guitar roughly, leaving behind marks as he slapped and strummed hard behind the strings.
The scratches and scars led to a positive identification.
"Then it became a whole different piece. Before, it was a guitar. And after it was authenticated, it became a Holy Grail,” said McCaw.
But from that Holy Grail, McCaw demanded no fame or fortune. Instead, he wanted to return it to the world at large.
"I think he's looking down,” said McCaw of Lennon. “I've felt that since Day One. And I think he'd say 'I knew this guitar would come back now me.' And now it has."
The Gibson's immaculate condition adds to the wonder of the find.
McCaw’s friend and performing guitarist Marc Intravaia said McCaw paid great care to the guitar, making sure it was never damaged.
"It ended up in the right person's hands,” said Intravaia. “And I think the world should be grateful to him that they now get to look at a piece of history exactly as it was in '63. It stepped right out of 1963. ‘Here you go. I'm back.'"
A confidential process steered Lennon’s guitar to the Grammy Museum Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. Currently, it is on display at the LBJ Presidential Museum in Texas, a part of the “Beatlemania” festival. It will go back to the Grammy Museum from next month through August.
McCaw told NBC 7 he is excited Beatles fans now have a place to pilgrimage to see the revered instrument. "People are really excited about it, and understand what a great story it is. And so we want to keep that going -- keep the positive going,” he said.
McCaw kept his amazing discovery under wraps until all the details were finalized. In the meantime, friends like Intravaia reveled in the find. A Beatlemaniac, Intravaia calls playing the guitar a spiritual, transformative experience.
“When we brought it to Carmel Del Mar Elementary and we shared it with the kids and they sang 'Imagine' as I was playing the guitar, we were all…” Intravaia trailed off, wiping tears from his eyes.
Later this year, the guitar will go to a private auction house sale, where private collectors will bid on it – starting in the upper six figures. A portion of those proceeds will go to Spirit Foundation Charities.
I’d let John McCaw sit in a jail cell until he “remembers” who he bought it from. If he can’t, I’d be forced to assume he stole it himself.
“what it meant and could mean to the world.”
Sooo like, anything “Beatles” should mean something to the world? Like they were Beyonce’, Justin or somebody kewl like that?
The article further states: The Gibson's immaculate condition adds to the wonder of the find.
You're right. Either the guitar is immaculate, or it is scratched up from being played roughly ontour...
Identified beyond a reasonable doubt?
My thought, too. There should be no problem establishing ownership.
I am calling the story BS that instrument hasn’t seen 45 years of abuse teaching kids to play.
I saw that too.
Well, we’ve established the authenticity...it’s really one of Lennon’s.....it’s in great shape.....it’s worth millions on the open market...I’ll give you forty bucks for it.
Yeah, you might have the same guitar, but did you ever perform in your underwear with a toilet seat around your neck?
Oddly enough you should say that. Mark David Chapman dropped the album cover he got signed the night he killed John Lennon.
Some fan on the scene picked it up. The police took possession of it for the investigation but returned it to the fan. It has been sold several times since at auction.
If “found” items can be sold, then the smartphone companies have no claim that every phone found in public is “stolen goods”.
Just dang. I was in Austin over the weekend and visited the Capitol bldg. Wish I had known of this before. Last time i was at the LBJ museum was 1974 to see Walter Cronkite give a speech, the highlight of which was a "Streaker" running across the stage behind him.
1. How many of this model of guitar were manufactured?
2. How many of those have been played rough in the past 52 years?
3. How do the answers to these two questions prove that this was Lennon’s guitar?
Was there something else found in the process of authentication that isn’t reported here? Because I’m not buying the logic.
I thought all Gibson products have serial numbers. If so, Gibson could confirm this guitar was sold in England.
#12 like prince Harry picking the actress.
“you could have your choice of millions of women and this is what you pick?”
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