Johnny Ramone’s 1965 Guitar Sold for $937,500

A Rare Piece of Rock ‘n Roll History

A well-loved electric guitar that once belonged to late Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone just sold at an auction for $937,500 at the Boston-based company RR Auction. The winning bidder has preferred to stay anonymous.

Johnny used the 1965 Mosrite Ventures II on each of the band’s 14 albums. It was his “main guitar” for two decades. Johnny bought it in 1977 to replace his blue Ventures II model which someone stole from their van after a gig at the Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. It was also spared from being stolen in Los Angeles 1983 during a theft that cleaned out most of the other members’ gears. Fortunately, this guitar was in his hotel room at the time. Johnny also played it on every show from 1977 to 1996.

The guitar was sold by Daniel Rey who produced their albums and co-wrote their songs. Rey bought it from Johnny when the Ramones disbanded. It was still in relatively good condition as it hit the auction block, but it looked battered. It had heavy scuff marks indicative of Johnny’s aggressive guitar playing.

The back was signed with “Johnny Ramone, My Main Guitar, 1977-1996.”

The listing also featured several other memorabilia from The Ramones.