An iconic guitar from Elvis Presley's Comeback Special is up for auction | CNN (2024)
The flaming red Hagstrom Viking II guitar is up for auction.
CNN—
Elvis Presleyfans will get the chance to claim a piece of music history when a guitar is used during an iconic performance by the King of Rock 'n' Roll later this month.
Kruse GWS Auctionsturn it flaming redHagstrøm Viking IIguitar on the block.
The instrument was used by Presley during his 1968 nationally televised "Comeback Special," after the star had spent much of the previous seven years pursuing his film career.
The striking instrument was also featured on the cover of the album "From Elvis in Memphis" in 1969.
The guitar belonged to American guitarist Al Casey, who was asked by the producers to let Elvis use it during his TV special because of the guitar's flamboyant and fiery appeal. According to the auctioneers, it has not been offered at auction since the 1990s.
But the classic product is subject to strict financial conditions: the starting price is fixed$ 250.000.
Other thingscollectibles at auctionsinclude a crystal-encrusted glove worn by Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor's blue rhinestone earrings and a 1950 Cadillac Fleetwood from the movie "The Godfather" and previously owned by Mae West.
Hagström (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈhɑ̌ːɡstrœm]) is a musical instrument manufacturer in Älvdalen, Dalecarlia, Sweden. Their original products were accordions that they initially imported from Germany and then Italy before opening their own facility in 1932.
Viking II could be the most expensive guitar in the world, after it was valued at a modest $5 million, but could sell for much more. The guitar landed icon status after starring in Elvis's famous 1968 Comeback Special, a moment that features heavily in the 2022 Elvis biopic.
Instead, Elvis's highly protective mother, Gladys—”She never let me out of her sight,” Elvis would later say—took him to the Tupelo Hardware Store and bought a gift that would change the course of history: a $7.75 guitar. It was January 8, 1946, and Elvis Aaron Presley was 11 years old.
Elvis was a pretty good strummer. He also had the best quote about his playing: “I know only know four chords, but I only play three.” Elvis was good enough to accompany himself singing strumming chords, and he could play a few blues licks. He wasn't a great guitarist. . .not did he need to be.
With the 1968 Comeback Special, This Man Pulled Elvis Presley's Career Out of “The Toilet” Steve Binder, the man who directed Elvis' now-legendary '68 Comeback Special, often had to push back against the star's infamous manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
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