Beverly Hills-based Julien’s Auctions will conduct its "Icons & Idols: Rock 'N' Roll" sale at which a full deck of tuneful treasures will be on the block Dec. 1 and 2.
‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the auction house, Music Connection dropped in to preview a few of the higher-profile gems. Among them were three guitars of particular interest to Van Halen fans: one, a Frankenstrat-style Kramer owned and stage-played by the late rock rajah himself, another a Charvel designed for and also stage-played by Shredward. To complete the fretted trilogy was a scaled-down, thirty-inch Frankenstrat-style ax fabricated for the “Hot for Teacher” video. It was made as a prop for child actor Bryan Hitchcock who portrayed the juvenile jammer version of Eddie in the hijinks-heavy clip and includes the costume he wore. As of Thanksgiving Eve, bidding had reached $30,000. Alas, it lacks the components to be played, so…. not for teacher? ;-).
For rock fans who stan a slightly different tone, there will be both an acoustic and electric guitar on the block, both owned and played by sixties icon, Woodstock warrior and rock legend Jimi Hendrix. The more eye-catching of the two is a 1969 left-handed Fender Stratocaster. As of this writing, the bid stands at $160,000 but is estimated to sell for something in the range of $300,000 - $500,000.
MC readers are reminded that Julien’s is the same auction house that brokered the sale last summer of Kurt Cobain’s customized 1959 Martin D-18E guitar that he played when Nirvana taped its “MTV Unplugged” concert in November of 1993. It sold for a staggering $6,010,000. That smashed the previous world record for the highest price ever paid for a guitar, realized in 2019 with the sale of David Gilmour’s 1969 black Fender Stratocaster, which gaveled at $3,975,000.
Unlike last summer’s auction at which in-person bidders were welcome, this COVID-constricted sale will be held only via phone or online.
For more information visit juliensauctions.com.
