Beck’s estate brings the late virtuoso’s beloved instruments to auction at Christie’s
On Wednesday, January 22, over 130 guitars, basses, amps, pedals, cases, and other items used by the legendary Jeff Beck were auctioned at Christie’s. Gibson highlights included the iconic Gibson Les Paul™ ‘Oxblood’ depicted on the cover of Blow By Blow, fetching over £1,000,000 GBP, and a 1991 ES-175 that secured over £163,000 GBP.
MusicRadar noted that “Many great electric guitars have had their reputations elevated by the legendary artists who have played them. Jeff Beck’s Les Paul Oxblood is one of the most revered, a guitar from the heart of tone history.”
Ahead of the auction, Christie’s stated, “This must-see event is a true celebration of the ultimate guitarist’s guitar hero. From the outset, Jeff Beck was a sonic innovator; a maverick and mercurial virtuoso who blazed the trail for musical genres as diverse as psychedelia, heavy metal, and jazz-rock fusion, and who embraced a wide range of influences from the blues, rockabilly, and rock ’n’ roll to Indian sitar music, Bulgarian folk, techno, and opera.
“A maestro of his trade, Jeff could make just about any sound possible with a guitar and an amp. His playing style could not be defined, and part of his magic lay in the balance between the fluidity and aggression of his playing and his technical brilliance, which could swing from furious attack one moment to sheer ethereal beauty in the next.”
At the time of writing, over five hours had elapsed in the ongoing auction. The livestream is here and undoubtedly will be archived for posterity. Take a virtual tour of Jeff Beck’s guitar collection here.
Image credit: Robert Knight Archive/Getty Images
