Gibson has launched an active search for the Gibson ES-345 electric guitar that Marty McFly used in the first Back to the Future film. The guitar, which starred in the first film of the Back to the Future trilogy, disappeared more than 40 years ago, and its fate remains unknown. It was lost immediately after filming, and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day.
The company noted that the image of Marty McFly performing "Johnny B. Goode" with passion on a red Gibson ES-345 has long been legendary. The guitar has become closely associated with the movie hero who was transported to another era, and the scene influenced several generations of musicians to take up the instrument.
Despite its fame, the fate of the guitar is unknown. After filming the first two movies, the guitar was lost. Its exact location and condition remain unknown. Throughout the years, the crew, producers, and even Michael J. Fox, who played the role of Marty McFly, searched for the guitar. None of the investigations were successful.
In 2025, the debut installment of Back to the Future celebrates its 40th anniversary. In honor of the occasion, Gibson has launched its own investigation into the disappearance of the ES-345 after the filming of the movie. The company has asked for the public's help in locating the guitar and has launched a separate website and telephone hotline for this purpose.
To draw attention to the project, the guitar maker released a video titled Lost In The Future. In it, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and other Back to the Future actors, as well as the film's screenwriter, Robert Gale, and various musicians, share their vision of the situation. Before launching the public campaign, the video's authors noted that they "explored long-forgotten movie prop warehouses, cute vintage guitar stores, auction houses, and even dingy street corners."
The Gibson ES-345 ended up in Back to the Future by accident; the guitar was rented from vintage instrument dealer Norman Harris. None of the prop managers noticed that, historically speaking, the electric guitar could not have been in Marty McFly's hands: ES-345 sales began in 1958, but the film's setting is 1955. After filming, the instrument was transferred to the movie studio's prop warehouse.
In 1989, during preparations for filming “Back to the Future Part II,” the guitar was remembered, but the ES-345 could not be found in the warehouse. Its whereabouts remain a mystery. The actors and creators of the movie searched for the instrument at different times, but the search was unsuccessful.
"The guitar is lost somewhere in the space-time continuum," Michael J. Fox notes, not without irony. Christopher Lloyd, in turn, noted that the guitar's fate turned out to be sad — the instrument was destined to be "lost in the future."
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the first film in the Back to the Future franchise, Gibson intensified the search. The company examined all available information to determine the path of the ES-345 after filming the movie. Gibson also launched a public campaign, asking for help from movie fans, collectors, musicians, and enthusiasts. The brand launched the Lost to the Future website, through which you can submit information that could help with the search. A hotline, 1-855-345-1955, is also available for inquiries; its number refers to the guitar model and the year the movie's events take place.
Gibson noted that the search is designed not only to find new evidence of the guitar's disappearance but also to honor an unforgettable scene from the film. "Where we're going, we don't need roads—we just need clues," the brand notes.
The website features a countdown timer that will run out once all the clues have been collected. After the specified date, it is possible that Gibson will share all the collected information and reveal more details about what happened to the instrument. Conversely, Gibson may have already found the Marty McFly guitar or made a copy, and the entire search may be a promotional campaign for a new product related to Back to the Future and music.
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