Local expert examines authenticity of guitar

Posted at: 07/17/2012 9:49 PM | Updated at: 07/17/2012 9:57 PM

A local expert was used on the PBS series, History Detectives, to take a look a guitar one family claims Bob Dylan used during the 1965 Newport Folk Festival where he famously "went electric."

Andy Babiuk, member of the Rochester-based Chesterfield Kings, sat down with Lia Lando Tuesday evening and discussed how he examined the guitar and compared it to photos taken during the famous concert to try and determine if it really was Dylan's guitar. Babiuk also took apart the potentially famous guitar for full examination.

The owner of the guitar says that her father obtained it after Dylan left it on his plane following the 1965 concert. She says her father tried to return it but it eventually ended in their attic. But Dylan disputes these claims, and says that he owned similar guitars at the time.

If real, the guitar could fetch as much as $500,000 dollars at auction.

Babiuk says, in his opinion, the guitar is most likely the same guitar. You can see the full Roc City interview by clicking play on the video player.

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