A unique 1966 Fender Telecaster once owned and played by blues rock pioneer Mike Bloomfield has been listed for sale at Carter Vintage.
The vintage gear emporium in Nashville, TN, is no stranger to standout signature models – its current stock includes a Gibson Collector's Edition version of Kirk Hammett's "Greeny" 1959 Les Paul Standard for $65K – and this six-string is no different.
As the story goes, Bloomfield owned two of these models, one of which kept its original blonde finish but was famously cut down and converted to a left-handed model.
The second, and the one now looking for a new home, was given a swirling custom blue paint job reportedly composed by the sister of Bloomfield’s then-girlfriend.
Both guitars were used across the late ’60s and early ’70s as Bloomfield forged a reputation with his psychedelia-tinged blues rock.
Away from his solo work, he was Bob Dylan’s right-hand man for a time, and featured during his iconic 1965 Newport Folk Festival performance.
Bloomfield also played a key role in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s early success thanks to his fizzing chemistry with their guitar and harp-playing main man. He left the outfit in 1967 to form The Electric Flag, before reprising his partnership with producer Al Kooper, whom he had worked with on Dylan’s Like A Rolling Stone.
As for this unique-looking electric guitar, it notably starred during The Electric Flag’s performance on the Don Kirshner's Rock Concert variety show in 1974.
Later that year, Bloomfield was booked for a gig at the Cave Club in Vancouver but disappeared before it ended. The understandably-furious club owner’s rage was later tamed by Bloomfield, who offered up the two guitars he’d left behind as compensation. One had been his blue-painted ’66 Tele, the other a ’59 Les Paul.
The Tele was then sold to Bruce Lopez – the bass player in the cover band Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs, which regularly played at the venue – for a mere $125 in cash. After that exchange, it is said to have been “hidden in a closet for decades”, before being discovered after Lopez’s recent passing.
The guitar features an alder body, maple neck, and a Brazilian rosewood fretboard. As part of its restoration, the bridge pickup has been rewound to its original specs because it had rusted from years in the shadows. Otherwise, the guitar remains the way Bloomfield had it.
The instrument can be yours for $235,000 – and it comes complete with a hard case in which the original bridge pickup coil can be found.
Head to Carter Vintage to learn more.
