Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Cheap Trick guitar legend Rick Nielsen is auctioning off some of his most recognizable and off-kilter guitars, of course.
The eccentric guitarist’s collection includes two 1968 Gibson Explorers, and a 1963 Guild Merle Travis, one of only three ever made. One of his three custom five-neck guitars will also be up for grabs, the stage-played 2004 Hamer “Five Neck” Korina, estimated to sell for more than $175,000.
“How did I come up with such a backbreaking idea for an instrument? Well, back at shows in the late ’70s and early ’80s, I used to stack up as many as five guitars for my guitar solo,” Nielsen once told Guitar Player.
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“Eventually, this part of the show gave birth to the idea of building a multi-necked guitar. The original concept was to have a six-neck that spun like a roulette wheel, so that I could play one neck and then rotate to the next, but then I decided to go with something more conservative – five necks in a row!”
Another Hamer, his 1975 Standard electric, is also hitting the auction block. Custom-built for Nielsen, it was his workhorse in the ’70s and ’80s, and was used during his career-defining performance at Japan’s The Budokan in 1978, Chicagofest in 1981, and Rockpalast in Germany in 1983. It’s now estimated to fetch between $200,000 and $300,000.
This auction offers a glimpse into Nielsen’s passion for guitar collecting, which started at an early age. His parents owned a music store, and after seeing the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, he bought his first Les Paul – a 1955 Gold Top – for $65, which he still owns to this day.
“I couldn’t sing or dance, but I was big into songwriting, and I tried to put everything I had into that,” says Nielsen.
“I knew I was never going to be a virtuoso, so I ended up being a ‘medium-oso.’ I started out with one guitar, and over the years the collection just kept growing. It seemed like a good time to sell some of it – you can’t take it with you. When it’s all over, hopefully I’ll still have one guitar.”
The auction, which is kicking off on October 24, will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an organization close to the guitarist’s heart.
The sale will be held live at Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at the Historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
“From the guitars that helped define Nielsen’s unmistakable sound and style to personal pieces collected throughout his extraordinary career, The Rick Nielsen Collection offers fans and collectors an unprecedented opportunity to own a piece of rock history,” reads the statement from Julien’s Auctions, the auction house leading the sale.
For more information, visit Julien’s.
