Bob Dylan's 1965 Fender XII is Headed to Auction
The 12-string was used by Dylan during the early sessions for his 1966 masterpiece, 'Blonde on Blonde.'
![Bob Dylan's Fender XII guitar is headed to the auction block](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hEDg6DKhr9jWyVLQQxvEMT-320-80.jpg)
A 1965 Fender XII 12-string electric guitar once owned by Bob Dylan is headed to the auction block.
Put up for auction by Gotta Have Rock and Roll, the guitar was used by Dylan during the 1965 New York City recording sessions for Highway 61 Revisited and, subsequently, the early New York City sessions for Dylan's 1966 double-album, Blonde on Blonde.
This Fender XII is said to be one of “only a handful” of its kind, as it features a pearloid pickguard, instead of the tortoiseshell pickguard found on most XIIs.
Featuring an alder body, sunburst finish, amp-style knobs, and a rosewood fingerboard, the guitar comes with a letter of provenance from Dylan’s management – confirming that this was indeed the XII used in the early Blonde on Blonde sessions – and a certificate of authenticity from former Fender Artist Liason Jody Carver.
“I have inspected the 1965 Electric XII, serial no L72261, and can confirm (due to the unique wood grain figuring at the end of the fingerboard) that this was the instrument given to Bob Dylan by the Fender company," the letter from Carver reads.
“[This] is the one that can be seen on the Bob Dylan sessions in Columbia Studios attended by myself and my nephew Artie Martell in 1965."
Two other letters confirming the guitar's authenticity – one from George Gruhn and one from Clive Brown – are also included with the guitar, in addition to a Dylan-owned strap and the guitar's original touring case.
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Bidding for the Bob Dylan-owned 1965 Fender XII is open now, and starts at $215,000. The guitar is expected to sell for $350,000 – $500,000.
For more info on the guitar, stop by gottahaverockandroll.com.
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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