Kamloops woman discovers 'once-in-a-lifetime' guitar under late uncle's bed | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Kamloops woman discovers 'once-in-a-lifetime' guitar under late uncle's bed

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An almost 70-year-old guitar brought into a Kamloops music store has caught the attention of collectors across the continent.

Lee's Music store owner Mike Miltimore said a woman brought the instrument into his store having found it under her late uncle's bed.

"When she came to the front door with this ratty old case we knew something special was about to happen," Miltimore said.

The owner expected her newly inherited guitar to be worth anything from $100 to maybe $1,000, she vastly underestimated what she owned.

Inside the beat-up guitar case was a 1953 Gretsch Round-up. Miltimore estimates only around 400 were ever made.

"This is a period timepiece," Miltimore said. "It's super unique."

The guitar sells for anywhere between $12,000 and $27,000 depending on condition.

"We get a lot of high-end guitars that come through here, but this particular guitar is really special," Miltimore said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime find... to find something like this is under somebody's bed is awesome."

With leather embossing and attention to details, craftsmanship that's obvious to even a non-musician, the guitar looks in many ways like a work of art.

Miltimore said the early 1950s was an era when guitar manufacturers were all trying to make the next great electric guitar.

The family music store proprietor, who also manufactures guitars himself under the name Riversong Guitars, said the instrument plays really well and sounds amazing. Apart from a few "character marks" from being played is in good condition.

The family has decided to sell the instrument and it is now on the market for $15,000.

It's already caused a buzz in guitar collector circles and multiple inquiries have come in from across Canada and the U.S.

The music store owner isn't surprised by the amount of interest.

"This is one of those once in a lifetime things," he said.

Anyone interested in putting an offer in can find Lee's Music here.

— This story was originally published at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27, 2020.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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