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You can now own Jimi Hendrix’s 1961 Epiphone Wilshire – you’ll just need $1.25 million
Hendrix traded in his Silvertone Danelectro for the Wilshire after leaving the army in 1962, spending only $65.
Credit: Getty Images/Moments In Time
An 1961 Epiphone Wilshire electric guitar once owned by Jimi Hendrix is going up for sale, with an eye-watering price tag of $1,250,000.
Per TMZ, after leave the army in 1962, Hendrix traded in his Silvertone Danelectro for the Wilshire, spending only $65, a notably smaller sum than the guitar’s current price of $1.25 million.
Hendrix played the guitar in his early years with the group, The King Kasuals, and there’s photographic evidence of the guitar in action.
The guitar is being sold by Moments in Time, who are selling it on behalf of a private collector. According to the seller, the guitar also comes with a photocopies letter of authenticity from fellow musician and guitarist, Larry Lee, and a binder of reprinted photographs showing Hendrix with the guitar. It is unknown if the guitar comes with it’s original brown soft case and leather strap.
The Wilshire was Epiphone’s take on Gibson‘s Les Paul Special, donning a mahogany body and neck with P-90 pickups and a faded Cherry finish. It also features a stud tailpiece and a tune-o-matic bridge, which weren’t seen since the original Les Paul Standards and Customs in 1959.
As only 186 of these guitars were produced in 1961, they naturally come with a hefty price tag today. Add to that the fact that this one has been played by the most iconic guitar player to ever live, it’s unsurprising it’s commanding a seven-figure price tag.
This is not the first time the guitar has hit the market, as it was also up for sale in March 2008 by auction house Bonhams, under the collection of “Unique Rock-n-Roll Memorabilia”.
Since then, many Hendrix items have hit the market, including a 1967 Sound City amplifier which was on sale for $450,000. The only problem was that his use of the amp still hasn’t been independently verified.
So if you have $1.25 million to spare, or if you’re like the rest of us and would simply like to check out the listing, you can head to Moments in Time.