Wait – Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ Guitar Sold For How Much?
photo credit: (L) biography.com, (R) guitarworld.com
Late Legend’s Longest Owned Guitar Sells For 6 Figures
It never ceases to amaze us what people will pay for music memorabilia, and this week didn’t disappoint as late rock legend Jimi Hendrix’s longest owned guitar sold for a cool $£209,000—about $258,000 USD, courtesy of Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia sale in London. Used on Hendrix’s 1968 cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” the 1951 Epiphone FT79 acoustic was initially only expected to net between £80,000 and £120,000—roughly $10,000 to 48,000 – but a fierce bidding war ensued, bringing the price of the guitar to a whopping 6 figures; not bad, considering Jimi Hendrix originally purchased the guitar for $25 back in 1967!
Fun Fact: Jimi eventually gave the instrument to Blue Mink guitarist Alan Parker, and it was featured in recordings by Dusty Springfield, Walker Brothers, Paul McCartney and David Bowie.
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to own a piece of rock and roll history, especially one responsible for giving life to one of the greatest rock covers ever recorded – I mean, how do you put a price on a legacy? While the Epiphone received a lot of love between 1967 and 1970, something tells us that its new owners won’t be doing any jamming any time soon!