Gibson hunts for Back to Future guitar

Gibson, an iconic instrument brand, has launched a global search for the Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 guitar that Michael J Fox played in the 1985 hit film Back to the Future. The pop culture phenomenon, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, scored an Academy Award and three additional nominations. It launched a franchise that would go on to earn almost $1-billion globally.

In tandem with the worldwide hunt for the missing Gibson ES-345 and to further celebrate the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future this year (2025), Gibson Films has started production on a new documentary film titled Lost to the Future.

The guitar first appeared during the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance scene. It features the protagonist, Marty McFly (Michael J Fox), playing the song Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. During the making of the 1989 sequel to the film, the filmmakers went to look for the guitar, and it was nowhere to be found. Anyone with information about the missing original Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 can contact Gibson via the website, or by calling/texting 1-855-345-1955.

The upcoming documentary Lost to the Future will feature in-depth interviews with Back to the Future cast members Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, and Harry Waters Jr, musician Huey Lewis (The Power of Love), and the film’s co-creator/screenwriter/producer Bob Gale. It will include world-renowned music superstars that have been inspired by the film over the decades. In the quest to find the elusive guitar, documentary director Doc Crotzer (Roadhouse, Glee), alongside Mark Agnesi (director of brand experience at Gibson), will guide viewers in the global hunt for this legendary instrument from long-forgotten film prop warehouses, fascinating vintage guitar shops, auction houses, and shadowy back alleys. The Lost to the Future documentary will transport viewers back to 1985 to celebrate the music, culture, and defining moments of the era through a rich collection of archival photos, stories, film clips, and iconic songs.

“Guitar has always been a big part of my life,” says Michael J Fox. “When we talked about the Enchantment Under The Sea scene in Back to the Future, I sat down with the cinematographer and choreographer and said I want to riff through all of my favourite guitarists, like doing Jimi Hendrix behind the head, Pete Townshend doing a windmill, and the Eddie (Van Halen) hammer thing, it was so cool that they were open to that, and we laid it all out there.

_{Actor and Guitarist, Michael J Fox. Photo supplied.}

“I’m really happy with the scene because it was an expression of my love for guitar and all the great players. I didn’t realise the influence the scene had on people, John Mayer said, ‘I play guitar because of you,’ and Chris Martin said the same thing, and I am glad they took it further than I did, they went to the trouble of being really good players. I just love the guitar, and I love the movie.

Bob Gale, co-creator/screenwriter/producer of Back to the Future, says: “Years ago, I was astonished to learn this beloved cinematic artifact had apparently disappeared into the space-time continuum. Since we don’t have a functioning time machine, this effort is probably our best chance to solve a decades-long mystery.”

Cesar Gueikian, president and CEO of Gibson, says: “This is one of the most exciting moments at Gibson for me. Back to the Future is one of the most important and significant movies of my life, and the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance scene marked me musically in a profound way. Working with Michael J Fox, Bob Gale and the rest of the Back to the Future team is a dream come true. I hope we find Marty’s Gibson ES-345. To everyone out there who is as passionate as I am about this iconic film, please help us find it.”

Mark Agnesi, director of brand experience at Gibson, says: “I started searching for this guitar back in 2009 on my first day on the job at Norman’s Rare Guitars. After 16 years of searching, I’m so excited to get the entire guitar community together to help find the guitar that made me, and so many other guitarists of my generation, want to learn to play.”

Todd Harapiak, Gibson media director, says: “Watching Michael J Fox’s iconic performance of Johnny B. Goode during the Enchantment Under the Sea dance was a moment that struck a chord with an entire generation of kids, inspiring them to pick up a guitar for the very first time. “Few moments in film have had such a lasting impact on musicians as this scene in Back to the Future, and we’re thrilled to embark on a journey to find this guitar that’s carried the legacy of film and rock history for nearly four decades.”

Doc Crotzer, director of the upcoming documentary film Lost to the Future, says: “This is the movie that made me want to be a filmmaker, and the scene that made me pick up a guitar for the first time. As children of the ’80s, it is our duty to take fans of music, fans of the movie, and fans of true crime documentaries with us on this too-crazy-to-believe quest to find our generation’s Excalibur.”

Back to the Future was directed by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Oscar nominee Bob Gale. The film was executive produced by three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, eight-time Best Picture nominee Kathleen Kennedy and five-time Best Picture nominee Frank Marshall. It was produced by Neil Canton and Bob Gale.

* To submit information, visit the ‘Lost to the Future’ website here.