Hundreds of guitars – including a Bob Dylan-owned Fender Stratocaster and Rory Gallagher-owned Gibson L6-S – are to go under the hammer at the UK's Gardiner Houlgate auction house next week.
The Dylan-owned Strat dates back to 1962, and boasts a Gold Sparkle re-finish that was carried out in 1991 by then Fender Master Builder J. Black at Dylan's request. It is believed that the singer-songwriter used the guitar during his Never Ending Tour.
The guitar is estimated to sell for between £40,000 and £80,000, though Dylan's iconic 'Newport Festival' Stratocaster went for a whopping £965,000 back in 2013.
A modified '70s Gibson L6-S once owned by late Irish blues-rock legend Rory Gallagher is also up for grabs. It was sold by the Gallagher estate through a London dealer in 2012.
Expected to sell for between £8,000 and £12,000, the guitar includes a certificate of authenticity from the family, and a photo of Gallagher playing it.
Other artist-owned guitars that'll hit the auction block include Richie Sambora’s PRS Private Stock double neck, an Andy Beech-built Prince Cloud guitar, Dave Ellefson's Jackson bass and two acoustic guitars previously owned by UK folk guitarist John Renbourn.
“It’s another bumper sale, and a thrill to be headed up by a great selection of artist-owned guitars,” says Luke Hobbs, auctioneer at Gardiner Houlgate.
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“Bob Dylan electric guitars are a rarity due to his acoustic roots. Also, to have the opportunity to handle a guitar that was owned by the man that Hendrix once hailed as the greatest guitarist in the world, that being Rory Gallagher, is a real honor.”
Also being sold at the auction is over 70 lots of backline equipment from the collection of ex-Whitesnake guitarist Bernie Marsden. Among the collection's highlights are Marshall amps used on tour and on early Whitesnake recordings – including on Here I Go Again – and a Yamaha drum kit once owned by Cozy Powell.
A section of original stage flooring once graced by the Beatles is also up for sale. The floorboards were recently removed from Lathom Hall, a venue in Liverpool which the band played 10 times, including their first advertised gig as the Silver Beats.
The auction is set to take place on December 9 and 10. For more information, head to Gardiner Houlgate.
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Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
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