Man buys John Lennon’s old Fender guitar amp on Facebook Marketplace… for barely $4,000
Imagine copping a quality 1960s Fender Deluxe on Facebook Marketplace for under £3,000. You’d already be pretty satisfied – but what if that amp turned out to be a priceless piece of Beatles history?
That’s exactly what happened to 45-year-old James Taylor. When the father of two was picking up his purchase, the seller alleged that the Fender amp was previously owned by John Lennon. “They told me it might have been gifted to someone by John Lennon, but I have heard these stories before and I didn’t pay it much mind,” he tells Manchester Evening News.
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However, after some digging, Taylor started to believe the seller’s claims. Taylor discovered that the Facebook seller did have some ties to Lennon; the seller was friends with Rob Lynton, a songwriter and guitarist who had worked with Lennon on his 1971 album, Imagine.
Taylor reached out to Lynton to confirm whether the amp was once Lennon’s – and Lynton confirmed that it was.
In fact, Lynton went so far as to hand-write Taylor a ‘Certificate of Authenticity’ as proof. “My friend Mal Evans, who was The Beatles’ roadie and general Factotum for many years… initially loaned me the amplified for recording purposes,” Lynton writes. “He advised me that this amp was John’s.”
“In 1971, I was invited to play on John Lennon’s Imagine album,” the ‘certificate’ continues. “Following the recording sessions, I was with John and I mentioned that I had been loaned the Fender amplifier by Mal Evans, as I required a smaller amplifier than the ones I owned at the time.”
“I asked John if I should bring the amplifier to his home, or return it… he responded: ‘No, thanks very much for all the work you’ve done on the sessions. Don’t worry about bringing it back, you can keep it. It’s yours!’”
While Taylor was already happy with his new amp, the news has just made the purchase even sweeter. “I bought the amp because I wanted the amp, and I didn’t pay John Lennon sort of money for it,” he tells Manchester Evening News. “When all the details started checking out, I realised I had something very exciting on my hands. I wasn’t expecting it at all!”
“One of my earliest listening experiences was my parents introducing me to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band at a young age… And now I have John Lennon’s amp, which is crazy to think about!”
According to Taylor, the amp still “plays and sounds fantastic”, and he’s already used it for some band practice sessions. Though he does admit he “might have been a bit more cautious had [he] realised the historical importance” of the piece of gear.
Looking forward, Taylor is hoping to further investigate what tracks Lennon might have used the amp on. He’s also thinking he might sell on the piece, as “it would be scary to have something so valuable in the house”.
“There are many parts of me that wish I could hold onto it, but it is a risk to keep in a house with toddlers rushing around,” the father of two admits.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
