Charles Manson

Listed for sale on Reverb.com in 2021.

Charles Manson’s Guitar

This 1930’s Slingerland ‘Songster’ guitar was discovered in an infamous Hollywood mansion's attic, securely wrapped up with several unopened cases of Manson’s album, called LIE, which was released in 1970.

According to Phil Kaufman (producer of Manson’s LIE album), the Slingerland guitar and the Manson albums were hidden in the mansion’s attic by ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, who had access to the house and attic at the time and who had recently stolen the lot from the garage of Kaufman’s residential headquarters in early 1970. Kaufman believes that with the impending legal cases against her, Miss Fromme stashed Manson's prized albums and guitar in the attic for safe keeping. She never returned for them. The Slingerland guitar has a very distinct sound and sounds identical to many of the guitar tracks heard on the LIE album. Phil Kaufman has verified that this Slingerland ‘Songster’ guitar was Charles Manson’s guitar. Included in the sale is a notorized document signed by Phil Kaufman declaring the guitar to have belonged to Charles Manson.

CONDITION: The guitar is in good condition. There are several 'wear and tear' marks, scratches, dings and other imperfections. There was a repair done to the end of the fingerboard where it meets the body, but this does not affect the playability of the instrument.

Stolen from Al Jardine, as revealed by Jardine in a Guitar World interview that was excerpted in this November 3, 2023 Guitar World article.

The Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine has revealed that one of his prized Martin acoustic guitars was once stolen by cult leader Charles Manson.

Though Jardine failed to elaborate on the details of the theft, he nonetheless offered up the curio in the latest issue of Guitar World when asked about the guitars from his arsenal he’d save from a burning building.

To that, Jardine responded, “First it’d be my favorite electric, a Gibson 12-string – then my Martin acoustic, a 1976 D-45 Centennial model. Charles Manson actually stole one of my D-45s years ago and I never, ever got it back.”