Michael J. Fox: Back to the Future Guitar Search
- Fox and Gibson Guitars have teamed up to locate the cherry red ES-345 guitar Fox played in Back to the Future.
- The guitar featured prominently in the "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance scene, where Fox's character, Marty McFly, performs "Johnny B.
- Fox joked in a promotional video that the guitar is "somewhere lost in the spacetime continuum, or it’s in some teamsters garage." The video also features Waters, Christopher...
Michael J. Fox and gibson are on a mission! They’re actively seeking the missing cherry red ES-345 guitar from the beloved film, Back to the Future. Disappeared between the 1985 release and the 1989 sequel, this guitar, central to the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance scene, holds a special place in movie history.The search coincides with the 40th anniversary of the film. Fans with any information on the *Back to the Future* guitar can contact gibson via LostToTheFuture.com. Mark Agnesi, Gibson’s director of brand experience, has been searching as 2009, hoping the guitar community will join the quest. News Directory 3 will continue to bring you updates on the search and the upcoming documentary, Lost to the Future. Discover what’s next in the hunt for this iconic piece of cinematic history and the legacy it left behind.
Michael J. Fox and Gibson Launch Search for Iconic ‘Back to the Future’ Guitar
Updated June 03, 2025
Michael J. Fox and Gibson Guitars have teamed up to locate the cherry red ES-345 guitar Fox played in Back to the Future. The instrument disappeared sometime after the film’s release in 1985 but before the sequel in 1989.
The guitar featured prominently in the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance scene, where Fox’s character, Marty McFly, performs “Johnny B. Goode.” The performance influences Marvin Berry, played by Harry Waters Jr., to call his cousin Chuck, introducing him to the “new sound.”
Fox joked in a promotional video that the guitar is “somewhere lost in the spacetime continuum, or it’s in some teamsters garage.” The video also features Waters, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Bob Gale, and Huey Lewis.
Fans with information about the missing Gibson ES-345 can contact Gibson through the LostToTheFuture.com website or by calling 1-855-345-1955.
Fox expressed his affection for the guitar and the “enchantment Under the Sea” scene,calling it “an expression of my love for guitar and all the great players.” He also noted its influence on musicians like John Mayer and Chris Martin.
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.
Mark Agnesi, gibson’s director of brand experience, has been searching for the guitar since 2009, when he worked at Norman’s Rare Guitars in Los Angeles. He hopes the guitar community can help find the instrument that inspired him and others to play.
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.
The search coincides with the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. Gibson Films is also involved in Doc Crotzer’s documentary, Lost to the Future, which will chronicle the search and explore the film’s legacy.
What’s next
The search for the iconic guitar continues, with Gibson and Michael J. Fox urging fans to come forward with any information that could lead to its recovery.The documentary promises to shed further light on the guitar’s importance and the enduring impact of Back to the Future.