Fire Sale

Posted September 5, 2008, 12:52 pm in GB Topics


The first guitar that was ever set on fire by the late Jimi Hendrix was bought at auction in London by American collector, Daniel Boucher.  The 51-year-old Boucher paid $497,557 for the Stratocaster that Hendrix set afire during a concert in London in 1967.
While roadies rushed to put out the flames, Hendrix was treated for minor burns, and press officer Tony Garland picked up the scorched Stratocaster and put it in his parents garage in East Sussex. It remained in the garage, forgotten for nearly 40 years, until it was found by Garland's nephew.

Boucher, a resident of Boylston, Mass., says he'll play the guitar. "I thought I'd have to pay a little bit more for it, actually. I am going to play it, I hope some of it rubs off on me. It changed music, he raised the bar so high you couldn't get over it. Obviously it is an investment, it couldn't not be an investment for that amount of money, but I bought it because I like it."

The auction also featured a copy of The Beatles' first contract with manager Brian Epstein which sold for $426,478. The four-page document was signed on Jan. 24, 1962, by John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Richard Starkey -- Ringo Starr's real name. It is also signed by Harold Hargreaves Harrison and James McCartney on behalf of their underage sons.




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