Guitars Once Owned by Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, and Others to Be Auctioned

by Tom Watson

On July 28, 2005, the Cooper Owen auction house will offer 16 guitars for sale, each with a claim of collectibility. Most notable are: George Harrison's 12-string Harptone* (possibly the last Harrison guitar to be sold to the public, according to the catalog notes); a left-handed Fender Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix (according to the catalog notes, "The only left-handed guitar used by Hendrix known to exist."); a Gretsch Country Gentleman studio and stage used by Chet Atkins (an early pre-production prototype, according to the catalog notes); and, Roger McGuinn's Regal 12-string.

More information and images on the individual instruments are available by visiting the links below.

The auction will be held at Cirque at The Hippodrome, Leicester Square, London at 7:30 p.m. BST, with viewing available on both July 27 and 28. See the auction website for viewing times. There are a number of ways to bid on lots, including, online at www.cooperowen.com, by FAX, by telephone, from the auction floor, and through eBay Live (www.ebayliveauctions.com).

A large number of lots will be offered in the auction in addition to the guitars mentioned - such as memorabilia related to Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, a special John Lennon collection, and many more. Visit the online auction catalog for a full list and description of the lots.

The guitars

The information and images presented on the pages below are provided by the Cooper Owen auction house.

Lot 28, Status Quo Francis Rossi Gibson Flying V

Lot 34, Cliff Richard Yamaha 12-string Electro Acoustic Green

Lot 35, Cliff Richard Yamaha APX20 Electro Acoustic White

Lot 36, Cliff Richard/Bill Hayley Aria Elecord Acoustic Sunburst

Lot 37, Cliff Richard Maton The Messiah Electro Acoustic Natural

Lot 38, Cliff Richard Washburn Tanglewood Electro Acoustic Sunburst

Lot 52, Alexis Korner acoustic guitar

Lot 54, Gibson Blonde acoustic guitar autographed by Grand Ole Opry stars

Lot 55, Chet Atkins Gretsch Country Gentleman

Lot 56, Scotty Moore 1952 Gibson ES-295 Goldtop

Lot 59, Roger McGuinn Regal 12-string guitar

Lot 60, Rick Danko Norwegian 5-string bass

Lot 63, Bob Dylan owned and played Epiphone Les Paul guitar

Lot 91, Keith Richards Gibson ES350T guitar

Lot 141, Jimi Hendrix left-handed 1965 Fender Stratocaster

Lot 182, George Harrison Harptone* 12-string guitar with case

___

*Although Cooper Owen refers to the Harrison twelve-string as a Harpitone, the correct spelling is Harptone.