Guitar Duane Allman Played on 'Layla' Goes for $1.25M

Fans of Duane Allman in Macon, Georgia, say they didn't expect the late musician's old guitar to sell for $1.25 million at a recent auction. The gold-topped guitar is the one Allman played in the hit song "Layla," performed with Eric Clapton, the Telegraph reported. Until recently, the guitar affectionately called "Layla" had been on display at the Allman Brothers Band museum at The Big House in Macon, the AP reports. "I don't think anybody expected that," Museum Director Richard Brent said of the amount. "The history of it is what sold it."

Brent said the man who bought the guitar is an out-of-town collector who wishes to remain anonymous. The buyer has agreed to share the instrument with the museum during certain times. "It will be coming back to The Big House in late November," Brent said. "We couldn't ask for more than that." Duane Allman played the guitar on the first two Allman Brothers records, and on "Loan Me a Dime" with Boz Scaggs, Brent said. The recording "Layla" with Derek and the Dominoes is among the last times Allman played that guitar. Allman ranks ninth on Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest guitarists. Clapton said he knew that working with Allman would take guitar playing to another level. Allman died in a motorcycle crash in Macon in 1971.

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