Want to own a Clapton guitar? John Lennonâs juke box? McCartneyâs tour bus? Hereâs how
Notable pieces of rock-n-roll history will go on sale next month, including a guitar given to Eric Clapton by George Harrison in 1965, a juke box given as a gift by Elton John to John Lennon, and a Paul McCartney and Wings tour bus.
Those items will be part of the more than 1,000 rock artifacts going up for auction at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nashville Nov. 16-18, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Kicking the Stigma mental health initiative.
According to Julien’s Auctions, which is conducting the sale, the Clapton guitar — a 1964 Gibson SG electric known as “Fool” — was first played by Harrison and given to Clapton around the time he, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker formed Cream. It has a custom-painted, psychedelic finish.
Clapton played the guitar on stage while touring the U.S. with Cream. Clapton used the guitar to perfect what would become his signature sound, the “woman tone,” which Clapton described in 1967 as a sound that seemed “more like a human voice than the guitar,” according to Julien’s.
The bidding for the Clapton guitar started at $250,000, with the current high bid at $300,000, and is expected to reach at least $1 million.
Among the many other items up for sale:
- A 1947 Wurlitzer juke box, given as a Christmas present by Elton John to John Lennon, who placed the juke box in the “Club Room” of his New York City apartment, The Dakota, where he was murdered in 1980. The jukebox is expected to bring between $80,000 and $100,000.
- A fully-restored Paul McCartney/Wings tour bus from the 1972 “Wings Over Europe” tour. The bus traveled over 7,500 miles through nine countries in Europe. The current high bid is $70,000 and expected to go as high as $200,000 to $300,000.
- A Humes High School (Memphis, Tenn.) yearbook signed by Elvis Presley. The yearbook belonged to a classmate of Elvis’ and is signed “Best of everything, Elvis” next to his yearbook photo. The yearbook also has a photo of Elvis in Biology class. The yearbook was expected to bring between $1,000 and $2,000, but the current high bid is already $2,500.
- A 1962 Martin Committee trumpet owned and played by Dizzy Gillespie. The horn was custom made for Gillespie and is engraved “Martin Dizzy Gillespie.” The starting bid for the trumpet is $7,500 and it’s expected to bring $30,000 or more.
- A 1970 Rickenbacker bass guitar owned and played by Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, most notably during the recording sessions form the groundbreaking “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. The starting bid is $12,500 and expected to go up as high as $70,000.
- A black, “military-style” jacket worn by Michael Jackson during his 1992-1993 “Dangerous World Tour.” The current high bid is $7,000 and expected to reach at least $20,000.
- A 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray owned and driven by Slash of Guns N’ Roses. The odometer reads just 35,164 miles, but the auction house says it’s unknown if that’s the true mileage. The current high bid is $100,000 and the car is expected to bring as much as $200,000.
Along with the Clapton guitar, a guitar owned and played by the late Kurt Cobain is expected to bring in excess of $1 million, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Known as “Skystang I,” it’s a light-blue, left-handed Fender Mustang. The Nirvana frontman played the guitar during the band’s 1993-1994 “In Utero” tour, including the final public performance in March 1994, roughly a month before Cobain committed suicide.
A 1959 Martin D-18E guitar played by Cobain in 1993 sold in 2020 for $6 million, currently the world record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
In addition, there are numerous other guitars available for bidding, including guitars owned and played by Johnny Cash, Frank Zappa, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, John McVie of Fleetwood Mac, Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, Eddie Van Halen. Other guitars not owned or played, but autographed by music legends are also available.
The auction is split into three collections, with the first collection currently available for viewing and bidding online. The second and third collections will both go live on Friday.
The Cobain guitar is expected to be among the items available for absentee bidding beginning Friday, as is a 1977 Lincoln Continental owned by Elvis Presley.
Those interested in online bidding may register via the Julien’s Auctions website.