Beatles guitar auctioned for $408,000 in US

A six-cord electric guitar that Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison played went under the hammer for $408,000 (RM1.2 million), Julien's Auctions said Sunday. The customized VOX guitar was the centerpiece of the annual Music Icons auction held Saturday at the New York Hard Rock Cafe by the Beverly Hills, California-based auctioneers. Julien's Auctions had valued the guitar ahead of the auction at between $200,000 (RM604,000) and $300,000 (RM906,000). The guitar, which had been at several exhibitions prior to auction, was a gift from John Lennon to "Magic Alex" Mardas, an engineer at Apple Records and a friend of the band in 1967, Julien's said. Harrison used the guitar while practicing the song "I am the Walrus." Lennon played it during a video session for "Hello, Goodbye." Some 450 other items were also auctioned at the event, including the pants that Elvis Presley wore in the "Jailhouse Rock" movie, a jumpsuit worn by 70s pop star David Cassidy and objects from David Bowie, Michael Jackson and the Grateful Dead. An electric guitar that Elvis once played on sold for $50,000 (RM151,000), while sunglasses that "the King" once wore sold for $28,125 (RM84,000).