Lost To The Future! Michael J Fox Launches Desperate Hunt for Iconic Gibson Guitar That Went Missing From Set of His Classic Time-Travel Movie 40 Years Ago
Michael J. Fox and Gibson have launched a search for the missing guitar featured in 'Back to The Future.'
June 3 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Michael J. Fox has launched a search for the missing Gibson guitar he shredded in Back to The Future, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The cherry red ES-345 Gibson guitar went missing from the iconic movie's set over 40 years ago.
'Have You Seen This Guitar?'
Fox played the ES-345 in 'Back to The Future.'
Guitar manufacturer Gibson announced the search for the famous instrument by sharing a poster reading "Have You Seen This Guitar?" on Tuesday, June 3.
The poster featured a still of Fox playing the guitar in the hit 1985 film.
Gibson plans to document the search – and hopeful recovery – of the guitar in a new documentary, Lost to the Future.
Fox Calls on Fans For Help
Fox teamed up with Gibson in a video message to fans pleading for information on the missing guitar.
In addition to the company's flyer, Gibson also shared a video message featuring Back to the Future co-stars Fox, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd, as well as Huey Lewis, whose hit The Power of Love was featured in the film.
The co-stars called on fans to be on the lookout for the dazzling red guitar – and asked anyone with information to head to the company's website or call a special 1-800 tip line that has been set up.
Fox told fans: "We need your help, we're trying to find the guitar I played in Back to the Future.
"It's somewhere lost in the space-time continuum, or it's in some teamster's garage."
Meanwhile, several theories have emerged about what could have potentially happened to the ES-345.
Back to the Future filmmakers originally rented the Gibson from Norman's Rare Guitars in Los Angeles. Both Crotzner and Gibson's director of brand experience and former Norman's general manager Mark Agnesi claimed the team returned the guitar to the shop after filming wrapped.
From there, it's been a mystery as to what happened to the guitar.
While it was rumored to have gone up for auction after the film's release, the instrument was never listed for sale.
Others believe the guitar was sold at Norman's, and any receipt from the transaction has been lost to time.
The search for the guitar will be featured in the documentary 'Lost to the Future.'
Gibson explained they launched the search and subsequent documentary to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary this year.
Documentary director Doc Crotzer reportedly said: "We've been looking into leads and rumors for a long time, and as you can imagine, we're talking 40 years ago, so memories fade.
"We weren't in the era of digital trails, or of receipts and things like that. There are conflicting reports, too. You can find as many different rumors as you can people."
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Norman's owner, Norman Harris, has insinuated in past interviews that he sold the guitar to a friend, who then sold the piece to an unnamed woman.
The woman allegedly returned to Norman's Rare Guitars years later and demanded $1million to sell back the guitar.
But Harris also claimed he sold it to a buyer in Japan.
Unfortunately, both Gibson and the documentary's team do not have the serial number of the guitar used in the film, adding to frustrations over how to track it down and verify the instrument. Thankfully, the guitar used in the movie has a unique marker they could use to identify it in the event someone comes forward.
