Fans, guitarists and collectors will be able to view instruments owned and played by the late guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck next month at Christie's in Beverly Hills, the auction house announced Friday.
Christie's said it will sell more than 130 guitars, amps and "tools of the trade," which Beck used throughout his almost six-decade career, from joining the Yardbirds in March 1965 to his final tour in 2022.
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The guitarist, among the most skilled, admired and influential players in rock history, died in January 2023 at age 78 in a hospital near his home in southern England. The cause was bacterial meningitis, he family said.
Highlights from the collection will go on display Dec. 4 to 6 in Beverly Hills, followed by the full collection being shown in the pre-sale exhibition at Christie's headquarters in London in mid-January. The assembly will go under the hammer on Jan. 22.
Among Beck's most recognizable guitars was his 1954 burgundy-colored Gibson Les Paul, famously depicted on the cover of his best-selling 1975 all- instrumental album "Blow By Blow." It is valued at between $440,000 and $630,000, according to Christie's.
Other instruments headed for auction include the "Tele-Gib" hybrid guitar put together by renowned pickup designer Seymour Duncan specifically for Beck in 1973; the 1958 Les Paul used with the Yardbirds and on the Jeff Beck Group's 1968 debut album "Truth"; a 1954 Fender Stratocaster the guitarist used on stage in the studio over three decades; and a pink Jackson electric guitar that Tina Turner engraved with a knife.
Beck's widow, Sandra, said the guitars "were his great love and after almost two years of his passing it's time to part with them as Jeff wished."
She continued, "After some hard thinking, I decided they need to be shared, played and loved again," she said in a statement. "It is a massive wrench to part with them but I know Jeff wanted for me to share this love. He was a maestro of his trade. He never lusted after commercial success. For him, it was just about the music. He constantly reinvented himself with his musical direction and I could not single out one person, one recording or one guitar as his favorite."
A multi-Grammy Award-winning artist, who was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Beck performed, jammed and recorded with countless musicians and friends, including Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and B.B. King. His last performance was on Nov. 12, 2022 in Reno, Nevada, with actor-musician Johnny Depp, who had become a close friend and collaborator.
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