Rock and roll legend Buddy Holly had barely broken in this Magnatone Custom 280 High Fidelity amp when he died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959. He bought it in late 1958 and put his name on the front with embossed adhesive tape (he also signed the inside of the back panel). This was Holly's home amp, which he kept in the living room of his New York apartment. Holly recorded a few demos on this amp. After his death, the tapes were overdubbed with full productions, but they were also later released just as he recorded them - with guitar and vocal. His widow Maria Elena sent the amp to Holly's mother for safekeeping, and the family sold it some years later.
For Holly aficionados, there is no other amp. His stage amp was brought to New York after his death by bandmate Waylon Jennings and put in a storage locker, and it promptly disappeared. The amp he used for his biggest recordings did remain in Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, NM, but it has been converted to solid-state.
This Magnatone has had tubes and caps replaced. A detailed account of the work comes with the amp, along with all the original electronic parts. It is still true to the vibrato-heavy sound of Holly's living room recordings.
With a letter from the curator of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (where it was on display until recently) and all the original electronic parts, this unique piece of memorabilia is offered at $175,000.
For further enjoyment....
