Hendrix's guitar sells for £280,000

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ido1957

ido1957

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http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hNhSV1Mq6ShnQ0CNKKfOUH8vLpaA

The first guitar set alight on stage by rock legend Jimi Hendrix has been sold at auction for £280,000.

Hendrix torched the 1965 Fender Stratocaster at the end of his show at the Astoria in Finsbury Park, north London, in March 1967.

Roadies put out the flames while Hendrix was being treated for minor burns and his press officer, Tony Garland, stored it in his parents' garage in Hove, East Sussex.

Hendrix later became famous for burning his guitars on stage but this instrument remained undiscovered until last year when it was unearthed by Garland's nephew.

After tense bidding at the Fame Bureau's It's More Than Rock And Roll auction at the Idea Generation Gallery in east London, the guitar was snapped up for just over the estimated price.

American collector Daniel Boucher is the proud new owner of the Hendrix guitar. He said: "I thought I'd have to pay a little bit more for it, actually. I am going to play it, I hope some of it rubs off on me."

Another bidder snapped up the lyrics for Sexy Sadie, a song which features on The Beatles' White Album.

The lyrics were carved into a wooden plaque by John Lennon and represent an attack on the Maharishi, the Indian guru much relied upon by the band. Lennon changed the name of the song from Maharishi to Sexy Sadie in order to save fellow Beatle George Harrison from embarrassment as he still supported the man.

The hand-carved slice of wood sold for £32,000 - well below its estimated price of £45,000.
 

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I went down to see this guitar at the viewing just because I had an hour to spare. It's a mess. The only thing thats gonna rub off on the buyer is some soot and a bunch of dust.:D You'll get closer to the man listening to his records. For a closer look at the guitar check this
 
I went down to see this guitar at the viewing just because I had an hour to spare. It's a mess. The only thing thats gonna rub off on the buyer is some soot and a bunch of dust.:D You'll get closer to the man listening to his records. For a closer look at the guitar check this

Bah . . . a fresh coat of tung oil, and it's good as new! :p
 
Just goes to show you some folks have more money than they have good sense. That's like $500,000 USD. I'm sorry.... that level of vanity just makes me sick right in the pit of my stomach.
 
Harvey, you were the first person I thought of when I read this post as well! I've read your Hendrix guitar story in one of the threads here on HR.com somewhere and its always stuck with me. I've recounted that story a few times since, and I feel your pain every time.
 
Harvey, you were the first person I thought of when I read this post as well! I've read your Hendrix guitar story in one of the threads here on HR.com somewhere and its always stuck with me. I've recounted that story a few times since, and I feel your pain every time.
Actually, it's not really all that painful for me. I understand that some people might want some memorabilia from someone famous, but I've never wanted anything owned by someone famous - simply because they once touched it or owned it.

When I had one of Jimi's Strats, it was just a Strat to me - and not a particularly good one. I've played instruments owned by a lot of famous musicians and guess what? They didn't make me play any better; I still sounded like the shitty player I am.

I've played Merle Travis' Gibson Super 400, Earl Scruggs Mastertone banjo, Albert King's Flying V, Jerry Garcia's Alembic, Jimi's Strat, Doc Watson's Martin, and Joe Walch's Les Paul, to name just a few of the instruments I've come in contact with over the years.

Believe me, the people that owned them got a lot more out of them than I ever did. I do miss my Acoustic Control Black Widow guitars, but only because I designed it and it was the most comfortable guitar I've ever played.
 
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