By Sachin Ravikumar
LONDON (Reuters) – More than 130 electric guitars, amps and other pieces of musical equipment that belonged to English guitar legend Jeff Beck will go on sale in London next year, Christie’s auctioneers said on Friday.
Often described as a “guitarist’s guitarist”, Beck rose to fame with The Yardbirds, went on to pursue a solo career and was hailed as a great alongside the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. He died last year aged 78.
The auction includes one of Beck’s most recognisable instruments: the coffee-coloured 1954 “Oxblood” Gibson Les Paul depicted on the cover of his 1975 instrumental album “Blow By Blow”. Its value is estimated at 350,000-500,000 pounds ($444,000-$634,000), Christies said.
The “Tele-gib” – a guitar heard on the Stevie Wonder track “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”, from the same album – will also go on sale, with an estimated value of 100,000-150,000 pounds.
“These guitars were his great love and after almost two years of his passing it’s time to part with them as Jeff wished,” Beck’s widow Sandra said. “It is a massive wrench to part with them but I know Jeff wanted for me to share this love.
“I hope the future guitarists who acquire these items are able to move closer to the genius who played them,” she said.
Highlights from the auction will go on show in Los Angeles from Dec. 4-6. The full collection will be displayed at Christie’s London headquarters from Jan. 15 until the auction on Jan. 22.
“His magic lay in the balance between the fluidity and aggression of his playing and his technical brilliance, which could swing from furious attack one moment to sheer ethereal beauty in the next,” Amelia Walker, Christie’s Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections, London, said.
($1 = 0.7887 pounds)
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
