MUMBAI: Legendary rocker Bob Dylan’s electric guitar that made news at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival fetched a whopping $965,000 at an auction on Friday. According to reports, the classic rock memorabilia, a Fender Stratocaster, brought in a world record price higher than any guitar has ever got at an auction.
While spending a near million on an electric guitar may be a little over the top, this particular axe perhaps justifies its price tag. Dylan shocked traditionalists at the Norfolk Festival when he used the guitar to play a rock and roll set. And although the three track performance drew boos from the crowd, it made his Fender Stratocaster an iconic instrument in the history of music.
The event also resulted in a defining moment for the ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ singer who moved from acoustic folk music to electric rock ‘n’ roll. Regardless of the importance of the guitar, the auction house- Christie estimated a much lower pre-sale price of about $300,000 – $500,000. Dylan’s Fender was sold with its original hard shell case and black leather strap.
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The guitar case also contained early lyric drafts to some of Dylan’s tracks, of which one sold for $20,000, bringing the total price of $985,000 to the auction. According to reports, Dylan had left the guitar case and its contents in a private plane that was flown by then commercial pilot Vic Quinto. Although be notified the singer’s management, the pilot never got a response and the guitar remained with his family for almost 50 years. After authenticating it last year, the pilot’s daughter put it up for auction.
The previous record for a guitar auction was held by Eric Clapton’s Fender Stratocaster that sold for $959,500 in 2004.
