Gibson’s “Lost to the Future” campaign seeks the screen-used Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 that Michael J. Fox played as Marty McFly in the 1985 film Back to the Future. The guitar’s last known trail leads back to the movie: filmmakers reportedly searched for it while making the 1989 sequel but could not find it. Gibson’s latest update in the sources reviewed here, dated October 21, 2025, said the search was continuing; those sources do not establish whether the original has since been found.
Which guitar is missing?
It is the Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 used in the Enchantment Under the Sea school dance sequence. Marty plays Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” with it. The object Gibson wants to locate is that original screen-used instrument—not one of the anniversary replicas released decades later.
The scene is set in 1955, but Gibson says the ES-345 model was introduced in 1959. That makes the guitar an anachronism within the story; the sources do not establish why the filmmakers chose it.
What happened to the original?
According to the official campaign announcement, filmmakers looked for the guitar while making Back to the Future Part II and could not locate it. The Associated Press reported on June 3, 2025, that the instrument was still missing when Gibson launched its public search. The available updates do not provide a documented account of what happened to it after filming.
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How to recognize it
In a July 4, 2025 update, Gibson said the guitar is thought to be a 1960 or 1961 model. That is the company’s estimate, not a verified identification based on a serial number. Gibson also highlighted an unusual solid parallelogram inlay at the 12th fret as a distinguishing feature.
How to send Gibson a tip
At the June 3, 2025 campaign launch, Gibson listed LostToTheFuture.com and 1-855-345-1955 for calls or texts. Because contact details can change, check the official campaign page before sending information to confirm the channels are still active.
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The original and the anniversary replicas are different guitars
Gibson and Epiphone later announced separate anniversary editions. Neither is the missing movie prop: both are newly made replicas, while the sought-after original is valuable to the search because of its screen-used provenance.
| Instrument | What it is | Announced production limit | Availability established by the sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen-used Cherry Red Gibson ES-345 | The original guitar played by Marty in the 1985 film; Gibson estimates it is a 1960 or 1961 model. | Not stated in the sources cited here. | Missing when Gibson launched its search in June 2025; the sources do not confirm its later status. |
| Gibson Custom Back to the Future 1955 ES-345 Collector’s Edition | An anniversary collector replica, not the screen-used original. | 88 worldwide, announced by Gibson in 2025. | Current stock or resale pricing is not established in the cited announcement. |
| Epiphone Back to the Future ES-345 Cherry Red | An official replica, not the screen-used original. | 1,985 worldwide, announced by Gibson in 2025. | Gibson’s product page says it is no longer available there; that does not establish whether it can be found elsewhere. |
Gibson announced the two anniversary models on October 21, 2025, while saying its search for the original continued. The company also announced the “Lost to the Future” documentary at the June 2025 campaign launch. The sources cited here do not establish whether that documentary has since been released.
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Timeline of the search
- 1985: Back to the Future is released, featuring Marty with the red ES-345 at the school dance.
- During work on the 1989 sequel: Filmmakers reportedly look for the guitar but cannot locate it.
- June 3, 2025: Gibson launches its public search, announces the documentary, and invites tips.
- July 4, 2025: Gibson shares the estimated model years and the 12th-fret inlay clue.
- October 21, 2025: Gibson announces the Gibson Custom and Epiphone anniversary replicas and says the search for the original is continuing.
Why Gibson is asking the public
The search depends on identifying a particular instrument that disappeared from the filmmakers’ view, rather than finding a guitar that merely looks like it. The estimated model year and distinctive inlay give potential owners or people familiar with the prop details to compare against, while provenance—whether the instrument can be tied to the film—remains central.
At the 2025 launch, Back to the Future co-creator Bob Gale said: “Since we don’t have a functioning time machine, this effort is probably our best chance to solve a decades-long mystery.”
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