A brand-new and colourful instalment, created by Wirral-based Diamond Precision Engineering, has been protected from the elements with ‘a little help from their friends’ at Merseyside Galvanizing Ltd.

Last year, Paul McCartney celebrated his 80th birthday and The Beatles Story Museum at Albert Dock, alongside Hofner Guitars, commissioned a sculpture to commemorate his illustrious six-decade career. The guitar, which is 4m long x 3m high, pays homage to The Beatles, and is to take pride of place in Liverpool City Centre for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Oliver Pitt, a director at Diamond Precision Engineering, said: “We were tasked with fabricating this incredible guitar figure to celebrate Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday. Both the guitar and panels surrounding it are made from 6mm mild steel, which we laser cut and secured to a box section frame. We then sent it over to the team at Merseyside Galvanizing to protect it from the elements, before it was powder coated and wrapped in vinyl logos.”

At Merseyside Galvanizing, the guitar sculpture was entirely submerged, and hot-dipped, in its large molten zinc bath. Coating the metal completely, this process allows the piece to be protected from corrosion, preparing it for its permanent placement in the city centre.

Mr Oliver continued: “This is just another example of stellar work from Merseyside Galvanizing, and we are appreciative for its assistance in ensuring this piece was suitable for installation. Not only is the company local to us, meaning delivery and collection is convenient, but it always ensures the work is completed to the highest of standards and are extremely competitive on cost and lead times — paramount when we are completing works with a strict deadline.”

Richard Smetham, sales manager at Merseyside Galvanizing, said: “It has been an incredibly exciting project to be a part of and a privilege to have been asked to protect this fantastic piece as a tribute to Paul McCartney, and The Beatles, in their hometown. Thanks to the protection against corrosion that galvanizing provides, it will be rust-free in another 70 years, and so can be admired and enjoyed by passers by for the foreseeable future.”