Les Paul Auction Draws Nearly $5 Million

Les Paul pictured with his 1951 Fender No-Caster which sold for $216,000 at auction.

Julien’s Auctions and the Les Paul Foundation held their auction of instruments, equipment, and artifacts owned by the legendary musician and inventor on Fri. and Sat. (6/8-6/9) in Beverly Hills, CA. The auction fetched nearly $5 million benefiting the charity which honors and shares the life, spirit and legacy of Les Paul by supporting music education, engineering and innovation, as well as, medical research.

Some of the auction’s notable highlights include a 1951 Fender No-Caster which sold for $216,000, a 1982 Gibson Les Paul that went for $180,000 and a wire and wood harmonica rack crafted by Les Paul as a child together with a vintage Hohner tremolo concert harp which yielded $59,375.

Other items included a recording mixing console ($106,250), a 1940s Epiphone Zephyr ($144,000), and a touring amp featured in his autobiography ($81,250). The memorabilia in the sale also included guitar schematics, tools and supplies, and hand-cut acoustic wall panels from one of his home recording studios.

As an inventor, he produced one of the first solid-body electric guitars, which went on to become the beloved Gibson Les Paul. He also pioneered new recording techniques, including commissioning the first 8-track tape recorder.

The sale concluded Saturday, on what would have been his 97th birthday.