Does Ed Roman Really have George's 425?

[octagon]

It is on his website for $850,000



Ed Roman's Rock Star Guitars

[Scastles]

Last I heard the 425 was in the Rock n Roll HOF.

[octagon]

Last I heard the 425 was in the Rock n Roll HOF.

Hmm,his ad says

"This actual Rickenbacker in this photo is now available again
Price approximate $850.000.00"



Is that a different guitar in the photo than the one in the video(above) or the one in the RRHOF?

[Scastles]

Think it is the same one.


Here is an excerpt from John Crowley's Beatles Guitar site:

Harrison gave this guitar to George Peckham, a mate from Liverpool (he played in Earl Royce and the Olympics, and later as rhythm guitarist for the Fourmost) who had become cutting engineer for Apple and rhythm guitarist for a new band, Matchbox. Harrison learned the band was about to appear on "Top of the Pops" but Peckham had no guitar, so Harrison loaned him "Rocky," his psychedelic-painted Fender Stratocaster. When Peckham returned it, Harrison asked him if he wanted a guitar, and offered him the 425, calling it a "great rhythm player." Peckham kept it until September 1999, when he put it up for auction it at Christie's. Although the auction was posted as completed, for some reason the high bidder rescinded his bid, and the auction house brokered a sale to another party for £56,500 (about $90,000). Christie's records are confidential, but soon after the sale, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame received this guitar on indefinite loan from one Sharon Mineroff, who reportedly was apprehensive about keeping it in the house. So there it sits in Cleveland, not that far from where Harrison found it.


It also says the guitar is in the HOF in Andy Babiuk's book, Beatles Gear.

[brian_l]

That would be cool to see it displayed at the Hard Day's Night bed and breakfast in Benton, Illinois, the house his sister lived in and George stayed at when he visited the U.S. in 1963 and bought that Rickenbacker.

[deaconblues]

FWIW, the RRHoF website is unchanged. I really doubt Ed Roman actually has it, he has been known to fabricate information in the past, to put it lightly.

"The Beatles exhibit includes John Lennon’s Sgt. Pepper uniform, as well as the black leather jacket he wore during the group’s early days in Hamburg and his wire-rimmed glasses. It also includes two Rickenbacker guitars, one played by Lennon and the other used by George Harrison."

[collin]

I really doubt Ed Roman actually has it, he has been known to fabricate information in the past, to put it lightly.

Dan---you win a trophy for the understatement of the year.

Ed is....uh....a strange one. Take anything on that website with a bucket of salt.

[BAD RONBO, KiLLeR DWaRfS]

you mean i can have anything on ed romans website and a full bucket o' salt to boot ??? i love salt !

[simer4001]

I saw it in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008. It had the additional pick up and new pickguard installed.

[jingle_jangle]

Not one to defend Ed, but we're talking through our hats if Ed can prove provenance, which should be airtight in that price range! My gut says that this is not outside the realm of possibility. Seems like Ed's brokering the sale, and it's probably still on loan to the RRHOF until it finds a buyer and possibly even after.

[Scastles]

Not one to defend Ed, but we're talking through our hats if Ed can prove provenance, which should be airtight in that price range! My gut says that this is not outside the realm of possibility. Seems like Ed's brokering the sale, and it's probably still on loan to the RRHOF until it finds a buyer and possibly even after.

It's possible, but his description of the 425 is dubious. Ed glowing refers to name after name of other guitars and their celebrity owners listed on the same page as the 425, but he makes no mention of the 425 having been Harrison's. Just seems odd.

[deaconblues]

Plus no actual picture of the guitar as it is now, no news that it's for sale, no mention of the RRHoF's ownership or lack thereof on Roman's site, etc. etc.

Selling a Beatle-owned guitar is a big deal, especially one that was used in a public setting. If it were at all legit, surely there would be more to back this up than a single line buried on one of Ed Roman's pages? And I have an extremely hard time believing that the RRHoF would choose to use a borderline-insane Las Vegas guitar baron to sell a priceless instrument instead of Christie's or some other legitimate auction institution.

[jps]

And I have an extremely hard time believing that the RRHoF would choose to use a borderline-insane Las Vegas guitar baron to sell a priceless instrument instead of Christie's or some other legitimate auction institution.

Better they should contact Mike Gutierrez.

[8mileshigher]

.... an extremely hard time believing that the RRHoF would choose to use a borderline-insane Las Vegas guitar baron to sell a priceless instrument instead of Christie's ...

[rkbsound]

If Ed's guitar were legit, then someone would have bought it at that price already. A lot of money for me, but there are enough collectors that would snatch it up.