|
 Dubbed "Wolf," the instrument was purchased by the musician
in 1973 for $1,500 and played for nearly two decades. It sold in
2002 - seven years after Garcia's death - for more than
$700,000. That price far surpassed the then-record $497,500, set
in 1999 by Eric Clapton's Fender Stratocaster "Brownie."
Named for its distinctive inlay of a wolf on the lower body, the
instrument is one of five that was designed for Garcia by
luthier Doug Irwin. The other guitars were dubbed "Eagle,"
"Tiger," "Wolf Jr.," and "Rosebud."
Garcia sang and played guitar for the rock band from its
formation in 1965 until his death from a heart attack at 53.
Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey's auction house, said in
an interview he is curious to see how much it goes for once it
is put up for auction again on May 31.
"The world record for any guitar ever sold, which had been this
and its mate 'Tiger' ($957,500) at a million dollars, has since
been eclipsed over the last 15 years," he said. "Now it's
slightly above $2 million, but we'll see where this goes."
A Fender Stratocaster signed by some of the world's greatest
rock stars including Clapton, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
brought in a record $2.7 million at auction in November 2005.
[to top of second column] |
Wolf's current owner Daniel Pritzker, a longtime Deadhead, was
reluctant to part with the instrument but he felt it was the right
thing to do since he intends to donate the proceeds to an
organization that works for social justice, Ettinger said.
"Dan called and said that with the divisiveness going on in our
country today he wanted to do something meaningful with Wolf. He ...
gave it back to us with instructions to resell it and give all the
money - he didn't want a penny of it - to the Southern Poverty Law
Center, which for nearly 50 years has been fighting racism,
poverty."
Founded in 1971, the Alabama-based nonprofit organization serves to
"combat hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and
litigation."
The live sale will take place at Brooklyn Bowl in New York on May 31
with a performance by a Grateful Dead tribute band.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell in New York; Editing by Melissa Fares
and Matthew Lewis)
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