10. 1949 Fender Broadcaster prototype: $375,000
Leo Fender’s first solid object prototype became the template for one of the most popular guitars ever made (then known as the Fender Telecaster). Though Les Paul’s quicker off the mark in making the first solid body guitars, this particular model is the key to the fate of the electric guitar world’s most successful companies, and thus history is very important. Sold to private collectors in 1994, for $ 375,000, the highest price ever paid for a guitar at that time.
1949 Fender Broadcaster prototype
Ordered by Eric Clapton in 1996, around the time Fender’s 50th anniversary. Clapton reportedly wanted something that could hang in a museum like the Louvre, and delivered with a Custom Fender Start, plated with 23K gold. Then go into production, becoming the company’s first signature guitar. Original sold at auction by Christie’s for an impressive $ 455,000 in 1997.
Eric Clapton's Gold Leaf Stratocaster
This guitar is used by The Beatles between 1966 and 1969. George Harrison used it when recording and touring the album Revolver, while John Lennon used during the sessions for The White Album. It was given by George Peter Ham, from the rock band Badfinger, and after his death lay undiscovered until 2002. It sold to an anonymous bidder at auction in 2004, for a startling $ 570,000.
George and Johns 1964 Gibson SG
Great blues guitarist, Stevie Ray Vaughan, received from his wife, Lenny, in 1980 as a 26th birthday present, and named it after him. This is one of his favorite guitar, and he used it extensively until his death in 1990. The SRV stickers on the body of this guitar is a trademark of the majority of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar, a habit he picked up from brother Jimmie who started this trend in his presence. In 2004 it became the first and only one guitar ever released for sale by the estate, to raise money for charity.
It raised $ 623,500 at auction to benefit the Crossroads Centre in Antigua.
Lenny Stevie Vaughan's 1965 Fender Composite Stratocaster
One of Clapton’s guitar added to this list. The reason for this is that he is one of the few famous guitarists who do not actually sell the guitar – to raise money for Crossroads Rehabilitation Center. Surely there are guitars out there (owned by Jimmy Page, Van Halen, etc.) that can take more if they were sold, but they have not yet put up for sale.
5. Eric Clapton’s 1964 Gibson ES0335 TDC: $847,500
The guitar was used as Clapton’s guitar particularly during 1964, but only rarely after that. It took the highest price ever paid for a Gibson when auctioned.
Eric Clapton's 1964 Gibson ES0335 TDC
In 1970, due to the effect from other guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton decided to switch from Gibson to the Stratocaster guitar. Clapton bought six vintage Strats from the guitar shop in Texas for a hundred dollars each. He gave three to go (for George Harrison, Pete Townshend and Steve Winwood) and then collect the best parts of the remaining three. which he named ‘Blackie’ as a dark finish. Clapton Blackie played for the first time in January 1973, and continues to do so until he retired in 1985 because of neck problems. Blackie sold at auction in 2004, and became the one of the world’s most expensive guitar for $ 959,000.
Blackie Stratocaster Hybrid
Classified as a national asset by the government of Jamaica, this guitar is one of only seven guitar of reggae icon’s life. On November 21, 1971, after a gig in Vancouver, Marley gave the guitar to a guitar technician Gary Carlsen with the words, “Take it as you will understand later.” Amazing, Carlsen took this as a sign that he should use the gifts he has given to a better world in some way, and so he founded the charity “Different Journeys, One Destination”, offers guitar as a prize in the lottery.
Bob Marley's Custom made Washburn 22 series Hawk
2. Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Stratocaster: Estimated Price $2 million
This guitar Hendrix played at Woodstock in 1969. From 1970 until 1990 was in charge of drummer Mitch Mitchell, before emerging to the surface in 1990 at the opening of the new Fender Artist Centre complete with cigarette burns on the headstock, and Trademark Jimi reverse stringing. It sold at Sotheby’s in the same year for $ 198,000. The rumors say that Paul Allen (Bill Gates’ right-hand man at Microsoft) is paid two million dollars for this guitar in 1998.
Jimi Hendrix's 1968 Stratocaster
This guitar sold at auction in Qatar in 2005, to raise funds for Reach out to Asia, a charity formed to help the tsunami victims. Coordinated by Bryan Adams, was signed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davis, Liam Gallagher, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Angus & Malcolm Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, Def Leppard and BryanAdams himself. Initially taken by the Qatari royal family for $ 1 million and later donated to charity, after it was sold again to a price of $ 2.7 million, which means that the guitar has yielded a total of $ 3.7 million dollars for charity.
Reach out to Asia Fender Stratocaster