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A sheaf of papers with handwritten song lyrics was in the guitar case and PBS took them to an expert, Jeff Gold, who said the handwriting matched Dylan's. The fragmentary lyrics later appeared, in part, on songs that Dylan recorded but rejected for his 1966 "Blonde on Blonde" album. Luray took the guitar to Babiuk, an appraiser of instruments who consults for the rock hall. He took the guitar apart to find a date written inside (1964) that made its use in Newport plausible. He drew upon blown-up color photos from Newport to compare the wood grain on the guitar Dylan played that day to the one in his hands. He's confident it's a match, likening the wood grain to a fingerprint. Dylan's lawyer, Orin Snyder, said late Wednesday that the singer had the guitar. "He did own several other Stratocaster guitars that were stolen from him around that time, as were some handwritten lyrics," Snyder said. "In addition, Bob recalls driving to the Newport Folk Festival, along with two of his friends, not flying." In a response, "History Detectives" spokesman Eddie Ward said the show continues to believe Peterson has the guitar in question and would "welcome the opportunity" to examine the guitar that Dylan says is the one he played that day. Peterson said she stood by the "History Detectives" conclusion. Babiuk said he didn't want to get involved in a dispute, but said he was "99.9 percent certain" that he examined the guitar used at Newport. Peterson said she had written to Dylan's lawyers in 2005 requesting that Dylan waive any claim to the guitar. Lawyers declined the request and said it should be returned but until this week, there had been no further contact. Unlike some musicians who prize instrument collections, Dylan has generally looked upon them as tools to convey his art, much like a carpenter's hammer, Kramer said. "I don't think he's dwelled on a guitar he hasn't played for 47 years," he said. "If he cared about it, he would have done something about it." That doesn't mean lawyers or managers wouldn't be aware of its value and fight for it, however. Peterson told The Associated Press in an email that she had no plans to sell or donate the guitar to anyone. "The guitar remains in a safe place," she wrote, "away from my home."
[Associated
Press;
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