Guitar, pick and assorted ephemera only $20k

For the well-heeled collector, guitar player or Beatle-obsessed fan, a limited edition guitar will be available next month that should send the aforementioned scrambling to secure a second mortgage.  Gretsch Guitar Company has meticulously created 60 replicas of George Harrison’s first professional grade guitar, the 1957 black Gretsch Duo Jet.  Asking price?  $20,000 USD.

Purchased second-hand in Liverpool from a merchant seaman in 1961, Beatle fans will recognize the original guitar as George sports it in countless vintage photographs and in various concert footage.  It’s most visible on the cover of his 1987 “Cloud Nine” LP.

With authorization and cooperation from the late star’s estate, Gretsch painstakingly created the replicas, using George’s original as a template, right down to the little dings and scratches—souvenir characteristics created by the late Beatle.  So unerring was the reproduction, even Harrison’s son, Dhani, was unable to distinguish the replicas from the original.

As one might imagine, at such a steep list price, this guitar comes with a few extras, including unpublished photos of George with the original guitar, A DVD about the creation of the replicas, a copy of Harrison’s autobiography, a personal letter from the Harrison family, and one of George’s personally used guitar picks.  And, one would assume, a decent case.

Considering that the list price for an original model 54 years ago was $310, the guitar’s $20k price tag certainly outstrips the standard rate of inflation.  But when you realize that George’s original axe –if it found its way to market—could easily fetch $1,000,000 or more at auction, it really does seem like quite the bargain. 

The George Harrison Tribute Custom Shop Duo Jet Guitar goes on sale May 2011.  For more information, visit the  Gretsch Guitar Official Website

You can also get 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' live performance video from the same era as Cloud Nine.