Beatles guitar fetches $US400K at auction

Melbourne: A guitar, once played by John Lennon and George Harrison of `The Beatles,` was sold at 408,000 dollars, at an auction in New York. The guitar, which was sold by Julien`s Auctions at the Hard Rock Cafe on Times Square on Saturday, is a custom prototype, made in 1966, News.com.au reported. The instrument fetched a hundred thousand dollars more than the pre- auction estimate of 200,000 to 300,000 dollars. Harrison can be seen rehearsing with the guitar on `I Am The Walrus` during the Magical Mystery Tour of September 1967. Lennon also played it in the promotional video for `Hello, Goodbye` but it does not feature in the final version of the video. Lennon, later gave it to a friend, Alex Mardas with a plaque on the back reading: "To Magic Alex/ Alexi thank you/ for been [sic] a friend/ 2-5-1967 John." The guitar, built by Mike Bennett with electronics by Dick Denney of Vox guitars, was on public display in London, earlier this month. ANI