The guitar that Jimi Hendrix played before he was famous sold yesterday for $265,000 (£164,675)–over 400 times the price he originally paid.
The star’s Fender Duo-Sonic sparked a bidding frenzy at the Cameo Auctioneers music memorabilia sale.
Hendrix paid just £100 for the tan ’59 / ’60 Duo-Sonic when he was an unknown backing singer known a Jimmy James.
Hendrix toured with the Isley Brothers during a nine-month stint from March to November 1964 and found the Duo-Sonic not only affordable but that it worked great for the funky rhythms he played.
The rumor is that this guitar went missing whilst on tour in the USA but in fact Jimi just tired of using it. The guitar was put away for a while and resurfaced years later in Chas Chandler’s London studio—the man who discovered and managed Jimi.
Jimi Hendrix died in London in 1970 from a drugs overdose aged just 27. His memorabilia continues to bring in record prices. Two paintings by Hendrix from 1967 were also sold yesterday for a total of £17,400.
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