LONDON (AP) – Some of the most iconic guitars in rock history are going on display in London before they go under the hammer at auction.
Auctioneer Christie’s held a preview on Tuesday for the collection of the late Jeff Beck, who died in January 2023 at age 78. The public can view 90 guitars and dozens of other items that belonged to Beck, whom Christie’s calls “the ultimate guitarist’s guitar hero,” until they are sold on January 22.
One of a group of 1960s guitar heroes that included Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, Beck was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – with his 1960s band Yardbirds and as a solo artiste.
Renowned for his unique sound and improvisational skill, he played over the years with everyone from Rod Stewart to Davie Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner and Johnny Depp.
Valued at more than GBP1 million, the collection includes an oxblood 1954 Gibson Les Paul that Beck bought in Memphis in 1972 and played for the rest of the decade. The guitar, which is featured on the cover of Beck’s Grammy-winning 1975 jazz-fusion album Blow by Blow, is expected to sell for between GBP350,000 and GBP500,000.
The sale includes a Telecaster-Gibson hybrid “Tele-Gib” valued at between GBP100,000 and GBP150,000 and Beck’s 1954 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster, valued at between GBP50,000 and GBP80,000.
Beck’s widow, Sandra Beck, said it was a “massive wrench” to part with the collection, but that “I know Jeff wanted for me to share this love.”