The guitar that appeared on the cover of Jeff Beck's classic Blow By Blow album cover has sold for over a million pounds at auction. The guitar, a 1954 Oxblood Les Paul, was estimated to sell for £350,000 – £500,000, but the hammer eventually fell with the price at £ 1,068,500 ($1,315,109).
The sale was the highlight of a 128-lot auction that lasted almost seven hours, raised more than £8 million, and set three world records. In addition to the price obtained for the Les Paul, a 1983 Jackson guitar signed by Tina Turner sold for £441,000, and the pedal board used on Beck's final tour in 2022 fetched £126,000. All the money raised by the auction will be donated to Folly Wildlife Rescue, whose patrons include Beck's widow Sandra and Johnny Depp.
“I am so happy that Jeff’s guitars have been so popular amongst his fans and friends," says Sandra Beck. "Thank you so much for your belief in Jeff’s legacy."
"We are thrilled with the results of Jeff Beck’s incredible collection, which pay testament to the legacy of a genius – a globally-revered true rock legend," says Amelia Walker, Christie’s Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections, London. "Passionate bidders competed for every lot in the sale, with each achieving many multiples of their pre-sale estimate.
"The power of Jeff’s live performances and the emotional connection between him and his fans is perfectly exemplified by the exceptional result for ‘Anoushka’ his main performance white Stratocaster, which sparked a nine-minute bidding battle, achieving £1,008,000 – 50 times the pre-sale low estimate. It has been an honour to have been entrusted with this collection."
The full list of auction results is available on the Christies website.
The cover of Blow By Blow, a stylised portrait of Jeff Beck playing the Les Paul, was painted by John Collier, who also created artwork for albums by Donny Hathaway, Charlie Parker, Bille Holiday, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Saga and many more.
