One of Bob Dylan’s acoustic guitars used at The Concert for Bangladesh has smashed auction expectations, selling for a massive $396,000.
The guitar was put up for auction by Dylan’s guitar repair expert Larry Cragg, 30 years after he bought the instrument from the musical icon in 1977 for a mere $500. In fact, the original receipt was included with the guitar at the time of its sale.
The guitar is probably most famous for the shows Bob Dylan played alongside George Harrison in the 1977 Concert for Bangladesh.
The guitar was taken care of incredibly well, and according to the Heritage Auction spokesperson, Cragg did his job right:
“He has kept the guitar in a humidity-controlled environment, with loosened strings for the forty years it’s been in his possession, and it has not been played since it was wielded by Bob Dylan in 1977.”
The date of its original sale to Cragg marks the year when the folk singer made the permanent transition from the Rolling Thunder Revue to the Gibson (the make which he continued to play for the rest of his career). Other guitars Dylan has sold have reached equally if not more impressive prices, with the Fender Stratocaster he played at Newport Folk Festival reaching close to $1 million.
Via Rolling Stone.
