“Definitely one of the most unique pieces to come through our showroom”: It was left in a nightclub in '74, then “hidden in a closet for decades”, now Mike Bloomfield’s custom-painted 1966 Telecaster is up for sale

As is often the case with a vintage electric guitar, Mike Bloomfield’s 1966 Fender Telecaster has done a bit of living in its time. It has quite the story to tell. And now, restored to its original glory, it is up for sale via Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville.

There is no mistaking this one. As was the trend in the ‘60s, it got a psychedelic makeover with a blue-and-green custom graphic paint job from one either Bloomfield’s sister or his girlfriends’ younger sisters (it is a shame we don’t have a name for the artist, more details on this).

But maybe some Bloomfield fans would be forgiven for forgetting this, because it has been a while since it this unique Telecaster has seen the light of day.

As the story goes, Bloomfield last had it during a 1974 show at the Cave Club, in Vancouver that ended prematurely. Bloomfield cut and run. The promoter was less than happy, so Bloomfield left the guitars as a measure of compensation. That was a rookie mistake. The guitars he left included a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard and this. What would their value be today?

Well, we know that, at least for the Telecaster. Carter Vintage Guitars has listed it for a cool $235,000, which is a lot of money for a refinished mid ‘60s Tele.

But this was Bloomfield’s, one of the most important guitarists of his generation, bridging the gap between blues guitar and rock, one of Bob Dylan’s co-conspirators as he electrified folk music.

And besides, Bloomfield didn’t have a huge reputation as a collector, making this all the more special.

This was Bloomfield’s second Telecaster. His first, a 1963 model, was legendary in its own right, appearing on the Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s eponymous debut in 1965, and as Gary Bohannon, senior authenticator, Carter Vintage Guitars, explains, it was also implicated in Dylan going electric. Bloomfield was on Dyland’s Highway 61 Revisited and performing at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when it all went down.

Bloomfield ultimately traded that first Tele for a Les Paul but Bohannon says he soon recognised he would need the Fender workhorse in rotation.

“Mike was one of those guys, he was a very practical musician, and there’s an old adage that ‘You never leave home without a Fender,’ especially a Telecaster,” says Bohannon. “And I think Mike knew that he needed another Telecaster, so he got this guitar.

“Mike always kept a Fender nearby. A Telecaster is always like the most reliable source for music, especially if you are a road-going musician. You can always depend on a Telecaster.”

Mike Bloomfield Owned Fender Telecaster 1966, Custom played by Nick Planer - YouTube

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Bloomfield died from a drug overdose in 1981. This Telecaster has not been seen for decades.

According to Carter Vintage Guitars, it was bought by Bruce Lopez, the bass guitar player for Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs, paying the the irate promoter $125 for it. That promoter would have good cause to be even more irate today.

Nonetheless, it did not see much action after that. Lopez had it “hidden in a closet” until he died from Covid. The bridge pickup has been rewound but otherwise the guitar is just as Bloomfield had left it. And you can see more of it at Carter Vintage Guitars. Heck, you could buy it if you want. You can hear it in action above.