A guitar owned by John Lennon and used to write The Beatles’ 1966 hit ‘Paperback Writer’ goes under the hammer at Le Meridien Hotel, Piccadilly, London on November 23. The Gretsch 6120 guitar, which was given to Lennon’s cousin David Birch as a gift in 1967, expected to fetch up to $1 million, when hit the auction block next month. “I was just cheeky enough to ask John for one of his spare guitars,” Birch said in a statement. “I had my eye on a blue Fender Stratocaster that was lying in the studio but John suggested the Gretsch and gave it to me as we were talking.” Birch held on to the guitar ever since.
Described as “the most significant of John’s guitars to come on to the market in the last 30 years,” this item is of particular interest because its provenance is so well-established, thanks to photos of Lennon playing it during the recording of “Paperback Writer.” Also, it helps that the guitar only has two documented owners – Lennon and Birch.
