Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well Guitar Gets $526K at Auction

Bill Rathburn of Dallas, Texas is the proud new owner of Grateful Dead’s commemorative Fare Thee Well tour guitar. And it only cost him $526,000.

The D'Angelico EX-DC guitar was sold to the final bidder during intermission July 5 at the band’s final show at Soldier Field.

The instrument’s opening big started at $5,000 during the first Fare Thee Well concert in Santa Clara, California on June 27.

Fans started clamoring for auction item after Bob Weir played the guitar on stage the next night on June 28 during a performance of "Row Jimmy."

The prized memorabilia was signed by the four living original members of the group and the three guest performers.

Proceeds from the piece will be split among 17 charities tied to the band, with each organization reportedly getting roughly $30,000 each from the guitar alone.

The auction was put on by non-profit organization HeadCount as part of an effort called "Participation Row" that gave Grateful Dead-related charities a significant presence at the Fare Thee Well concerts.

The auction also included signed posters, Remo drumheads and "pit" tickets, and generated over $250,000 without the guitar, according to a release from HeadCount.

A signed poster sold for $21,000, and San Francisco Giants pitcher Jake Peavey picked up another signed poster for $15,000. A signed Remo drumhead also generated more than $10,000, the HeadCount statement said.

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