Les Paul Photo: CFP

A rare guitar designed and owned by renowned guitarist Les Paul sold for $180,000 as part of a two-day auction of his instruments and personal effects that raised nearly $5 million, Julien's Auctions said on Sunday.

The guitar, a rare 1982 Gibson Les Paul prototype recording model, was among several of the iconic guitarist's instruments that sold in Los Angeles over the weekend.

Other models included a 1951 Fender Nocaster that brought in a whopping $216,000 and a 1940s Epiphone Zephyr, known as "Klunker #3," which fetched $144,000.

Paul and his wife Mary Ford enjoyed a string of hits in the 1940s and 1950s.

He was best known in the music community as an inventor of guitars and a pioneer of recording techniques. He died in 2009 at age 94 from complications of pneumonia.

Reuters