As “Back to the Future” celebrates its 40th anniversary, the search intensifies for the iconic Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 guitar used by Marty McFly during a pivotal scene at a 1950s high school dance. In the film, McFly, played by Michael J. Fox, rocks out with the band to the classic “Johnny B. Goode,” helping him navigate the time travel plot without disappearing. Despite repeated attempts to locate the guitar since the movie’s original release and the 1989 sequel, its whereabouts remain unknown.
Gibson, the guitar’s manufacturer based in Nashville, is now confronting the mystery head-on by enlisting public assistance in its quest to recover the lost instrument. The company is also producing a documentary titled “Lost to the Future,” focusing on the guitar and the film’s legacy. A promotional video released by Gibson features appearances from original cast members—including Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Harry Waters Jr.—as they humorously narrate the journey to find the missing guitar. Lloyd, in his iconic Doc Brown style, states that the guitar is “lost to the future,” while Fox quips that it could be “somewhere in the space-time continuum” or “in some Teamster’s garage.”
The guitar scene in the movie, where McFly plays to the slow dance standard “Earth Angel” before unleashing a wild rendition of “Johnny B. Goode,” reflects McFly’s struggle to blend his 1980s style with the 1950s setting. Fox aimed to embody various guitar legends during this performance, highlighting the film’s unique blend of nostalgia, music, and time-traveling adventure. The search for the lost guitar thus continues, driven by both nostalgia for the film and the artistry it celebrated.
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