Vic Flick's Bond theme guitar up for auction

The famed Bond theme, composed by Monty Norman, arranged by John Barry and performed by Vic Flick is now cinema legend. The guitar that strummed the famous chords is up for sale in an auction to be held on December 15th.

Lot Number 436:
Vic Flick’s clifford essex Paragon de luxe guitar used for the James Bond Theme in "Dr. No". Guitarist Vic Flick’s Clifford Essex Paragon electric/acoustic guitar (serial No. 1056), vintage ca. 1939, used to record the original James Bond theme for 1962’s "Dr. No". The Paragon was one of two guitars Flick was using on the road in the early 1960s, the other being a Fender Stratocaster.While being heckled and harassed while loading up his gear after a gig one night, he accidentally left the Strat behind, so the Paragon was his only instrument when he got the call to record the Dr. No theme.The rest is history.

As Flick himself said:“The Paragon’s sound was perfect for the riff.The combination of the way I played, the type of strings I used, the Vox 15 amplifier, the microphone and the studio set up all helped to give the guitar, on that particular session, an identity that has maintained its popularity for 50 years.Although no film was shown during the session there was a feeling of excitement at the music being for a spy film.”

Clifford Essex was a small guitar manufacturer in London, and the instruments — guitars, banjos and mandolins — were beautifully made and respected throughout the world. This guitar was on exhibit at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame from 2005 to 2006, and then spent time touring with The National Guitar Museum traveling exhibit, “GUITAR: The Instrument that Rocked the World.” The guitar, bought by Flick in 1958, was originally an acoustic instrument, but was later fitted a DeArmond pickup to transform it into an electric with a deep, unique tone. Shows minor signs of wear from years of use on the road, but is in fine shape for its age. Measures approx. 41 in. from headstock to strap peg, 17 in. across the body and 3 1⁄2 in. deep. Comes in a non-original case; includes a signed letter of provenance from Vic Flick. Special shipping arrangements will apply. $30,000 - $50,000.

More information can be found on Vic Flick's new website and the auction site Profiles in History.

Thanks to `JB` for the alert.

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