Watch Def Leppard’s Phil Collen Reconnect with His Jackson Guitar on ‘Pawn Stars’
A lot of celebrity-owned guitars come through the doors of World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas. Sometimes the celebrities who owned the axes—or their family members, friends or employees—drop by as well.
If the pawn shop's name sounds familiar, that's because it has been famously featured on the History channel's Pawn Stars for years.
Recently (hey, last summer is "recently," right?), a woman brought in an artist-proof copy of a Jackson Phil Collen signature guitar, hoping to score $10,000, which is no small sum. The brain trust behind the show then turned to an expert for advice. That expert called in a reliable source to authenticate the instrument: Phil Collen himself—he of Def Leppard and Man Raze fame.
You can check out the entire scene below. It includes a nice bit of shredding by Collen.
You can view more Pawn Stars episodes on the show’s YouTube channel and stream episodes and exclusive videos on its action-packed website.
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Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
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