Elvis' guitar fetches $334,000 at Julien's - artnet News (2024)

A custom-made guitar that Vernon Presley bought for his son Elvis in 1969 fetched $334,000 at Julien's Auctions in New York on Saturday, May 21.

The elder Presley had his son's name inscribed on the guitar's neck and changed the finish to black to celebrate his son's recent black belt in karate, the house says. This achievement is marked by a sticker for Kenpo karate, a special variant of that martial art, on the instrument's body.

The guitar joins other Presley memorabilia that have recently hit the auction block, includinghis first recordingIna private jet.

The guitar became part of broadcast history when the King played it during his "Aloha from Hawaii" concert in 1973, the first television performance to be broadcast around the world via satellite. Viewers in forty countries (as many as 1.5 billion people) watched Presley with hits such as 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Hound Dog' and 'Can't Help Falling in Love'.

Presley gave the guitar to an audience at a 1975 concert in North Carolina. Mike Harris, the recipient, held onto the guitar for four decades until he sold it to Julien. Presley allegedly told Harris something along the lines of, "You're keeping the guitar. I gave it to you for a reason. One day it will help you." According to Julien, Harris received a police escort from the stadium.

The Gibson was estimated to sell for up to $300,000. The sale also included memorabilia such as the piano on whichLady Gagawrote his first song when he was five; a letter written byDavid Bowiein response to a fan mail; and a jacket worn by Queen frontman Freddie Mercury during the band's "Magic" tour in 1986. In other guitar auctions, Boston'sRR-veiling sold Johnny Ramone's vintage HamerUnpleasant$ 55.247.

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