Fancy owning a guitar which previously belonged to the late Eddie Van Halen or Nirvana’s late frontman Kurt Cobain? A rare opportunity to purchase guitars owned by these legendary musicians will arise in December, but don’t expect to pay less than $50,000 for the privilege of laying your hands upon these iconic instruments.
The guitars will take pride of place at the Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘N’ Roll auction being held on December 4/5, 2020 live at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online at www.juliensauctions.com.
Two guitars custom designed and played by Eddie Van Halen are set to feature.
Van Halen hand striped this 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series electric guitar with maple neck and fingerboard, Fender Stratocaster-style headstock numbered on the back #54, in the unique white and black abstract design in the style of his 1978 Van Halen I guitar. The front of the body is signed Eddie Van Halen, initialed VH 04 and inscribed in Van Halen’s hand San Antonio Texas / 9-28-04. This guitar also features an EVH humbucking pickup with evidence of a cigarette burn to the front. Accompanying the guitar are multiple photos of Van Halen hand-applying taped stripes to the guitar, photos of him playing the guitar on stage in San Antonio and an EVH hardshell case with a partly-smoked cigarette in a plastic vial.
A customised electric guitar serial number F 0024 built by Van Halen with his guitar tech Matt Bruck at the guitarist's 5150 home studio is also up for grabs. Featuring a red body with white and black stripes designed and applied by Van Halen, the guitar features a maple neck and fingerboard with dot inlays, pointed Kramer headstock with Kramer machine heads, single humbucker pickup and Floyd Rose tremolo (seen in photo right). In 1991, the guitar was gifted to Van Halen's close friend Bryan Cash, the owner of Cash's Centenary Oyster House in Shreveport, LA. It is inscribed “Yo - / Bryan / Let's get / shucked / up / Eddie Van Halen / 5150” and was displayed at the bar where it was played by Van Halen when he visited. The guitar also includes a white Van Halen guitar pick and 2 backstage passes, one labelled Bertinelli Guest.
Both guitars are estimated to sell each between $40,000 - $80,000.
A guitar used by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s European tour for In Utero is expected to fetch a similar amount at the account. Cobain handed his black Fender Stratocaster to an audience member after Nirvana’s performance at the Palais Omnisport de Rennes in Rennes, France, on February 16, 1994.
