Bob Marley was seen playing an Ovation guitar on a live version of “Redemption Song” filmed sometime around 1980. The guitar was an Adamas model with a reverse beige burst finish, likely made sometime in the 70s. One reader who collects Adamas guitars and owns a comparable instrument has suggested that, based on the combination of specifications and options visible in the footage, Marley’s guitar is a 1687-7 built in the middle of 1978 – though this dating is based on personal analysis and has not been independently confirmed.
The guitar was also pictured in several other photos of Bob Marley performing live, which indicates that the guitar was actually his, and was used regularly. Unfortunately, it’s unknown what happened to it and where it ended up after Marley’s death. It has not been publicly seen since a performance in Pittsburgh on September 23, 1980.
Reader corrections
Fixes readers spotted and helped us make to this page.
- The entry now notes an unconfirmed collector's dating of the guitar to mid-1978 and an unverified account that it was last seen publicly at a September 1980 show in Pittsburgh.
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