Waylon Jennings Estate Auction: The Guitars
On Sunday 10/5, nearly 500 individual lots and over 2,000 items from Waylon Jennings will be auctioned of by Guernsey’s at the at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, with the proceeds from the auction going to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Out of the items there’s a total of 21 musical instruments that belonged to Waylon personally, as well as 11 amplifiers, a few keyboards, and even a set of Waylon Jennings conga drums. Below is a selection of some of the most valuable, and the most interesting items from the Waylon Jennings musical instrument collection.
More Details on the Waylon Jennings Auction
1946 Martin D28 Herringbone Guitar
Said to be Waylon’s personal guitar that he used to write songs with at home and on the road, this 1946 Martin with a Dreadnaught-style body has a Sitka spruce, mahogany neck, and ebony fingerboard. The guitar is in great playing condition, and considering its famous owner its considered one of the greatest Martin collectibles currently on the market. Serial number: 95073. Estimated $30,000-$40,000.
1943 Martin Guitar 00021
Another guitar said to be played by Waylon often and used for songwriting, it is listed as a 1943 model, but says it was numbered in September of 1948. Sitka spruce top, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard. The original tuners have been replaced with Grover Rotomatics tuners. “This was one of Waylon’s personal Martin Flattops,” says Guernsey’s. Serial number: 89206. Estimated $30,000-$40,000.
Yamaha Acoustic Guitar “Roger Miller 1976”
An acoustic Yamaha guitar with “Roger Miller 1976” carved into the top along with other scribblings. This guitar could probably tell a story, but its story is not known. THis is one of two instruments attributed to Roger Miller in the auction. Estimated $3,000-$5,000.
Gibson 1987 Chet Atkins CE Guitar
This nylon string classical-style guitar with a piezo pickup was a gift to Waylon from Chet Atkins, and is signed by Chet and dated ’87 on the sound covers. White signed to RCA, Chet Atkins was Waylon’s first primary producer. When Waylon won his creative freedom from RCA, Chet left the picture and became the face of stringent label control during country music’s Outlaw era. But later in life Waylon and Chet remained friends. Serial number: 82956570. Estimated $15,000 $25,000.
Baby Custom-Made Fender Telecaster for Shooter
The interesting part about this guitar is that it has a Telecaster body like all of Waylon’s electric guitars, but a shortened neck so a young Shooter Jennings (Waylon’s son) could play it. It is marked, “Made by John Birch, Birmingham, England,” and is said to be in excellent condition. Estimated $1,500 $2,000.
Fender Custom Shop Waylon Jennings Telecaster
There are actually four total of these custom shop Fender Telecaster guitars that are part of the auction, and each looks the same. None of them are the leather-clad black and white telecaster that Waylon played on stage for years, but were made by Fender to look very similar. Three all come with Fender Certificates of Authenticity and cases, serial numbers WJ037 Estimated $10,000 $15,000. A fourth without a case and some damage is estimated at $8,000-$12,000. Serial #WJ038
Waylon Jennings’ Unidentified Telecaster-Style Guitar
One of the most unusual items in not just the guitar portion of the auction, but the entire Waylon estate auction is this art project guitar that appears to be an early blonde and black Fender Telecaster guitar from the shape of the body and head stock, but has what appear to be little mirror or mother-of-pearl tiles haphazardly glued to the body. The guitar has no label, and is in rough shape. If it could talk, the stories it could tell. Estimated $1,000-$1,5000.
“Little” Jimmy Dickens Dobro Resonator Guitar
This dobro resonator with a pickup was given to Waylon Jennings personally by “Little” Jimmy Dickens whose name appears in pearl inlay down the fretboard. “Little” Jimmy Dickens is the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. It’s in excellent condition. Estimated $6,000 $8,000.
Martin Mandolin Model A
From Waylon’s personal collection, no year is given for this mandolin, but it does come with a serial number #25056. Estimated $7,000 $9,000.
Violin Given to Waylon Jennings by Roger Miller
A fiddle missing a tuner with no name or date, but with special value because it was given to Waylon by Roger Miller. Waylon’s widow Jessi Colter recalls when Roger gave Waylon the fiddle on their front porch. Estimated $3,000 $4,000.
MH
October 3, 2014 @ 10:26 am
Waylon was a huge Roger Miller fan, which explains all of the “whoop whoops” throughout the Waylon Live album/expanded cd.
Possum
October 3, 2014 @ 4:50 pm
Too bad it will be bought more by investors than true fans. I wish I had that kind of money to spend.
Evans
October 4, 2014 @ 9:17 am
He was known around the world just to see and be near these items would be the greatest thing to a true musician or true fan
Sam Jimenez
October 5, 2014 @ 6:48 pm
I’m gonna put everything I have down on that 00021, but I imagine it will go for much more than my $3.27.
I’m surprised Shooter would want to get rid of that Baby Tele…unless he’s like me and just has no ability to attach sentimental value to stuff. But I’ve yet to meet another musician like that my whole life. I can get rid of any guitar I own as long as someone’s handing me something else to replace it. I’m more concerned that it has the right number of strings on it than anything else. Literally every other guitar player I know still has their first though – and would never get rid of it.
Fast Eddie
December 22, 2022 @ 10:13 am
Yes Sir! I’m late to the conversation, but I am a guitar player and now collector. I still have my first acoustic EpiPhone FT-130 I got in 1977. I went many years unable to play it do to it having neck problems. I went through so many acoustics and electric guitars through my teens and early twenties. Always trading for something I thought I needed more. Ha Ha! Wish I had them all back. In my mid twenties I was making good money and swore I’d never get rid of another one. When I took my Gibson J-200 to a luthier for warranty work he told me he could fix my old EpiPhone. Best $50.00 dollars I’ve spent. That was in 2003 and it is playing like new. Now I’m running out of places to put guitars. Every time I’m about to buy a new one my wife ask which one I’m getting rid of. Ha Ha Honey! They all hold special meaning and are used for different songs and settings.
markf
October 8, 2014 @ 10:38 am
surprised some of these aren’t going for more.
People pay absurd amounts of money for some of these things.
someone I know sold a vintage gibson for a lot of money, the guy that bought it was mainly interested in how it looked on him, in the mirror. strange world.
Meanwhile Jimmy Hendrix played strats straight off the store wall.
markf
October 8, 2014 @ 10:40 am
and I wish I had some of my first five or six guitars, sold or traded them all, probably all worth a lot these days.
They weren’t old when I owned them. and there was no market like there is now, for those things.
Looks like Wayon took good care of his guitars.
Shawn
June 20, 2015 @ 6:05 am
Can someone tell me if Waylon’s children Terry Jennings and Buddy Jennings receive any of the residuals from this auction?
Rex Joseph Allen
September 28, 2016 @ 8:46 pm
I made Waylon a belt buckle of stainless steel with red sparkle. Made in the flying W. Does anyone know what happened to it.
Ryan Klassen
November 20, 2022 @ 7:24 am
My friend has a belt buckle not unlike the one you describe, when did you gift it to waylon??? My friend told me he wanted Waylon to sign a flat surfaced silver belt buckle at a show in ’94 but the black market failed to work so Waylon took off his own buckle and handed it to him. I’ve always loved to here the story at every party we attended, I hope this gives you some closure on your question.