Les Paul Guitar Auction

A 1982 Gibson Les Paul prototype, designed and owned by guitarist Les Paul, sold for $180,000. The two-day auction of Les Paul instruments and personal effects raised nearly $5 million for the Les Paul Foundation, which the guitarist founded to support music education, engineering, innovation and medical research. Les Paul's 1951 Fender Nocaster (signed by Leo Fender) went for an amazing $216,000, and a 1940s Epiphone Zephyr, known as the legendary "Klunker #3,"brought $144,000. Known as the father of the electric guitar, Les Paul produced one of the first solid body guitars and commissioned the first 8-track tape recorder, revolutionizing the way music was produced and distributed. Les died in 2009 at the age of 94.