Page 6 - THE ARTIST COLLECTION

BOBDYLANFENDERELECTRICXI
Referedtoas"Rock'sfirstgreatdoublealbum"andfeaturingtwosongsincludedonRoling Stone'sprestigious"500GreatestSongsofAlTime"list-"JustlikeaWoman"and"Visionsof Johanna"-BlondeonBlonde,BobDylan'sseventhLP,remainsascriticalyacclaimedasitwas acommercialsuccess.The1966masterpieceachieveddouble-platinum status,andduetoits combinationofgrand,drivingmusicandpoeticlyricswithamodernistliteraryslant,Blondeon Blondeisoftencitedasoneofthegreatest-andmostimportant-albumsinthehistoryof popularmusic.
e in itia l w ritin g a n d re c o rd in g s e s s io n s to o k p la c e in N e w Y o rk d u rin g O c to b e r 1 9 6 5 a fte r Dylan'sfirstelectrictour.Asthosesessionsprovedmostlyfruitless,Dylan,guitaristRobbie Robertson,andkeyboardistAlKoopermovedintotheCBSstudiosinNashvilesometimein January1966,wheretheyenlistedtheservicesofnow-legendaryNashvilesessionmusicians CharlieMcCoy,Hargus"Pig"Robbins,andseveralothers.Thisprovedtobejustwhatthey needed,asmusicalmagicwasmadeintheensuingmonths.
T
T
h
he
g StratocasterandaFenderElectricXI.Whilemanyoftheguitarsarerecognizedasproduction models,hisElectricXIisanincrediblyrarespecimen.Itfeaturesacombinationofthesunburst finishwithoriginalpearloidguardandamplifier-styleknobs.Onlyahandfulofthesespecific instrumentswereeverproducedduetothepickguardbeingquicklychangedtothecommon tortoiseshelpickguard.Asthisguitarwasdesignedin1965withFolkandRockartistsinmind, naturalyonewasgiventoDylan.Welfolks,oferedhereisthatverysameguitar.
D
Du
ur
r
i
in
n
g
those initialsessions in late 1965,Dylan played a hostofFenders,including a
efrom theaforementionedsunburstfinish,pearloidguard,andamplifier-styleknobs,the guitarfeaturesanalderbody,rosewoodfingerboard,noneckstamp,andincludestheoriginal blacktolexcasewithagreenpaintstencilacrossthetopreading"PropertyofAshes&Sand Inc.",whichisthenameofDylan'soriginaltouringcompany.
A
A
T
s
si
Th
id
hi
de
slegendaryguitarcanbeseenbeingheldbyBobDylaninseveralphotosfrom theperiod, andincludesasignedleterofauthenticityJodyCarver,formerFenderLiaisonandemployeein
i
s
P
r
i
c
e
£
2
5
,
0
0
0
s.CarverworkedcloselywithLeoFenderandDon Randal,andworkedinsales,productdevelopment,andpublicrelations.Itreads,inpart:"Due tomyknowledgeofmusiciansandstudiosintheNortheast,IwasFender'sfirstchoicefor supplyingartists.Ihaveinspectedthe1965FenderElectricXI.serialnoL72261,andcan confirm (Duetotheuniquewoodgrainfiguringattheendofthefingerboard)thatthiswasthe
variousrolesfrom1949thro
u
g
h
t
he
m
id
-
1
97
0
tgiventoBobDylanbytheFendercompany,andistheonethatcanbeseenonthe BobDylansessionsinColumbiaStudiosatendedbymyselfandmynephewArtieMarteloin 1965."
In c lu d e d is a s ig n e d le t te r o f p ro v e n a n c e fro m B o b D y la n 's m a n a g e m e n t c o n firm in g th is is th e guitarheownedandusedfortheBlondeonBlondesessions.
Price£ASK
i
i
n
n
s
s
t
t
r
r
u
u
m
m
e
e
n
n
t