Doug Irwin, who made Jerry Garcia’s $11.5 million Tiger guitar, has died
Doug Irwin, maker of Jerry Garcia’s legendary “Tiger” guitar – which recently sold at auction for a record-breaking $11.5 million – has died aged 76.
In a statement posted to the Irwin Guitars Facebook page, tribute is paid to “a master craftsman, a visionary and someone who dedicated his life to his work”.
“His guitars were never just instruments,” the statement reads, “they were built with intention, precision, and soul, becoming part of the music and the artists who played them.
“To his family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him, Doug was more than his work. He was a presence, a character, and someone whose impact reached far beyond words.
“His legacy will live on through the instruments he created and the music they helped bring to life. He will be deeply missed and never forgotten. Rest in peace, Doug.”
Doug Irwin first met The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia while working at Alembic. As Guitar World notes, Garcia bought one of Irwin’s first Alembic builds, the Eagle – for $850 in 1972.
Irwin would go on to build several instruments for Grateful Dead guitarist – in keeping with the animal-themed nomenclature – including the iconic custom Wolf, which sold at auction in 2017 for a cool $1,900,000, and later Garcia’s main instrument, the Tiger.
That six-string – fitted with a cornucopia of additional controls and now boasting legendary status thanks to its years of use by Jerry Garcia in the Grateful Dead – became one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction last month when it sold as part of the Jim Irsay Collection for $11.5 million. In that list, it’s now second only to David Gilmour’s Black Strat, which sold on the same day for a staggering $14,550,000.
Doug Irwin made two additional guitars for Garcia over the course of his career: the Rosebud, a development of the Wolf outfitted with MIDI capabilities; and the headless Wolf Jr.
Jerry Garcia died in 1995, and the world lost another Grateful Dead alum earlier this year with the passing of Bob Weir, who died aged 78.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
