The Grateful Dead would have to have the most loyal fans in rock music history, but it still comes as somewhat of a shock to see that Jerry Garcia’s custom-made guitar is expected to sell at auction for a price exceeding $1 million.
The guitar, nicknamed Wolf by the late artist, was first used in a 1973 gig in New York at a Hell’s Angels rally. Garcia continued to use the guitar for years, playing it throughout the band’s 1977 road film, and even busting out a few licks on it while playing at the Great Pyramids in Egypt.
Philanthropist film maker Daniel Pritzker bought the guitar in 2002 for $790,000 (a record price for a guitar at the time) and is expected to sell it for over a million. The guitar will be auctioned off at Brooklyn Bowl in NYC on May 31, with all proceeds going to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“I’ve been a fan of The Dead since I was a kid,” Pritzker explains, “and playing this iconic guitar over the past 15 years has been a privilege. But the time is right for Wolf to do some good. My wife and I have long supported the efforts of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and if ever we needed the SPLC, we sure do need them now.”
The guitar is pictured below. More information on the auction is here.
