The ‘Taylor Swift’ guitar smashed by man after paying $4,000 was not autographed by singer – buyer speaks out

2 October, 2024

Taylor Swift at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards

It has been confirmed that the ‘Taylor Swift guitar’ that was smashed by a man who spent thousands on it at an auction wasn’t signed by the singer. The buyer who carried out the stunt has also spoken out about the reasons behind the move.

The now-viral moment took place at an auction called Ellis County Wild Game Dinner held outside Dallas, Texas on Sunday night (September 29). During the event, an ‘Eras Tour’-themed guitar was put up for auction and sold to a man in the audience for $4,000 (£3,010).

Immediately after the sale, the man was seen taking to the front of the room and taking a hammer to it almost immediately, hitting it several times. He then appeared like he was going to smash the instrument on the ground before being stopped by the auction’s host. The buyer was seen laughing throughout as he was cheered on by the audience.

Now, it has been confirmed that despite widespread reports that the guitar was signed by Taylor Swift, the instrument was merely designed to celebrate the singer. A source close to her merch company confirmed to Variety that the model was not a certified official guitar used by the singer either, although it did come with a signed CD insert.

The charity event took place as a fundraiser, looking to support agricultural education for local youth. Other items that went to auction included tickets to see artists including Chris Stapleton and George Strait, as well as a trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (via The Independent).

Following the incident going viral, the man was identified by US media as 67-year-old Gary Estes. He has since spoken to NBC News about his actions on the night, and revealed that he intended for the stunt to be a “joke”.

“It was just a joke at an auction that we had to raise money for kids, right? That’s all it was,” he said. “There was nothing mean about it, nothing bad about it. It was just a joke that they were making up on the stage, and we just followed through with a joke.”

It was also clarified that Estes is a supporter of former President and current Republican Party candidate Donald Trump.

Auctioneer Craig Meier, who is a spokesperson for the event, also spoke to the outlet, backing Estes’ comments, but also suggesting that there was a political statement at the root of the actions.

“It was a funny, light-hearted thing. I know maybe it seemed to be malicious, but everybody was laughing. There were people there [who] joked around that he’s mad because he doesn’t know how to play the guitar,” Meier began. “It became a political thing, and that was kind of the gist of it, just a light-hearted bit of a dig at Taylor for coming out politically and entertainers using their influence to influence politics.”

While it hasn’t been confirmed by Estes whether or not he intended for any political statement to be made by the actions, it does seem plausible given Swift’s recent backing of Democratic Party candidate and current Vice President Kamala Harris.

The singer last month announced her endorsement of Harris’ presidential candidacy, championing her as “a steady-handed, gifted leader”. Swift added: “She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them… I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

The update sparked backlash from Trump, who made headlines soon afterwards by sharing a post on social media reading “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT”.

Countless fans and famous faces took to their accounts to respond to the post, showing their support for Swift, although Zach Bryan angered Swifties by making a jab at the ‘Midnights’ singer and her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce.

In other Taylor Swift news, the pop star wrapped up the UK and European leg of her Eras Tour in August with five final dates at Wembley Stadium. To commemorate, the stadium gifted her with her own personalised Wembley guitar. It has also been suggested that Swift should be awarded the London Freedom of the City for her record-breaking residency.

She is next due to re-commence the final stretch of her ongoing tour in Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on October 18, before ending the mammoth ‘Eras Tour’ run in Vancouver, Canada in early December.

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