Collectors Dream

[Cartwright Thompson]

Marc, name your price!

[Cartwright Thompson]

No wait, those Gibsons are short scale...I can’t use it, I’ll have to pass.

[Gary Watkins]

Marc, name your price!

Price? What price? The ad just said it was a chance to own this and I want to own it. No one said anything about a price!

[Bill McCloskey]

Maybe Marc has a price...on his head?

An interesting lack of pictures of the guitar, other than old photos.

[Leon Champion]

DON DONATED ONE OF HIS GUITARS TO THE HANK WILLIAMS MUSEUM IN MONTGOMREY ALA. AT ONE OF OUR ALABAMA STEEL GUITAR ASS. SHOWES. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY STILL HAVE IT OR NOT.

[Cartwright Thompson]

Yes Gary, he failed to mention a price, which is why I asked him to name one....never mind.

[Steve Spitz]

To add a bit of fuel, particularly the concept of Don owning spares, or multiple console grands :

Around 20 years ago, more or less. I was in the market for a Gibson double eight Console Grand . I found one for sale at Steel Guitars Nashville. It was a bit of a beater, but affordable . I was looking for a player, and started to engage Bobby Seymour about buying the steel.

Right before I was about to pull the trigger, someone else, came in and bought it.

According to Bobby, it was Don Helms. He said Don stated the original had become way too valuable for him to be comfortable hauling it around to gigs, so he bought the beater from Bobby , before I could make the deal.

Bobby was known to embellish a story, so there’s that, but he had nothing to gain, if it was “less than accurate”.

Again, purely anecdotal, no proof of anything. Could just be Bobby , being Bobby. He was known to spin some yarn, just for entertainment.

Anyway, it does throw another log on the fire regarding the possibility Don maybe owned more than one, and someone would look to profit on it.

[Bill McCloskey]

My guess is we will not hear from mr helms again. He sank his bait, his email address, and waiting for a nibble

[Erv Niehaus]

We're not talking about Don Helms other guitars.
The seller states that THIS one is the one used to back up Hank Williams, etc.

[Alex Cattaneo]

To paraphrase the late George Carlin, they call it a collector's dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.

[Jerry Overstreet]

My guess is we will not hear from mr helms again. He sank his bait, his email address, and waiting for a nibble

No, probably not now. He's been drawn and quartered, tarred and feathered without one speck of evidence that there's something untoward here.

Has anyone actually contacted the email address provided?

[Bill McCloskey]

Did a google search on it. Rare not to get some sort of hit on a legit address. Nothing on this one. And the email itself is a live.com address which is a rebrand of the outlook.com emails. Used a lot by spammers to creat throwaway accounts.

Buyer beware

[Mark Helm]

This isn't me, FYI. Now, if you see someone posing as me trying to sell one of uncle Levon's mandolins-- DON'T believe it !!

[Steve Spitz]

Right you are Erv, that’s why I’m sharing the story of “other” guitars.

[Tom Sosbe]

I know I'm in the minority but as far as I'm concerned ever if every thing said about this guitar is true, if if did belong to Don Helms and if it was on all those records. It still just a Gibson Console Grand worth no more than any other Console Grand

[David Rattray]

Tom that is how I feel also ...and not many ever thought more of Don Helms than I do ...

[Steve Spitz]

Actually, if it’s the real deal, with provenance, (real verifiable proof) , it becomes something larger than a utility instrument. To a collector, an iconic piece of musical history. You could take it to an Auction, and maybe it goes for six figures, just a guess...

I have a console grand, near dead mint, with the case in mint condition as well. A true closet classic. I’m not selling it, but at best it’s in the 2K range, just a guess...

Mine doesn’t come with any known significant history.

Point is, it doesn’t matter what you or I value it as. Pieces of significant musical history are valued by collectors on their significance, not what you could buy one like it for.

[Erv Niehaus]

Talk about a collectors item!
I have the original hatchet that George Washington used to chop down that cherry tree.
It's guaranteed original although I did have to replace the head a couple of times and the handle three times.
Erv

[Pete McAvity]

I have good reason to think this listing may be legit. I’m busy at the moment, but will contact b0b w/ what a I know ASAP. Don’t poop too hard on this one yet, fellas.

[b0b]

I'm closing this until the guitar can be independently authenticated.

In a conversation several years before his death, Don himself told me that he was once offered "six figures" for that guitar. His response was "Which six figures?". He knew it was priceless.

In all seriousness, this is among a handful of steel guitars that actually are historic museum pieces. I have serious doubts as to the legitimacy of this ad.