Duane Allman’s ‘Layla’ guitar sells for record-breaking amount at auction
The famed Duane Allman guitar played on “Layla” fetched a record-breaking $1.25 million at a July auction.
The 1957 Les Paul, which has been on display at The Big House, The Allman Brothers Band museum in Macon, was purchased by an out-of-town collector who wishes to remain anonymous, according to The Telegraph.
“It was the first time that a refinished guitar sold for that much money,” Richard Brent, director of The Big House, told the Macon newspaper. “I don’t think anybody expected that. ... The history of it is what sold it.”
The buyer has promised to still share the gold-topped guitar with the museum every other six months; it will return to The Big House in November.
Allman played the guitar for one of the last times on the recording of “Layla” - with Derek and the Dominoes – and traded it in a week later for a cherry-burst Les Paul.
According to The Telegraph, the guitar was previously owned by Scott Lamar before being sold in an auction by www.gottahaverockandroll.com.
About the Author
Melissa Ruggieri has covered music and entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 2010 and created the Atlanta Music Scene blog. She's kept vampire hours for more than two decades and remembers when MTV was awesome.
