Canadian musician Randy Bachman to auction 200 of his guitars

Randy Bachman bids farewell to some of the instruments that shaped his legendary music career, including the guitar used to compose The Guess Who’s classic American Woman.

Two hundred iconic guitars from the Winnipeg-born musician will be sold at auction at New York’s Hard Rock Cafe and online on May 29 and 30.

The instruments include the 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar, which he acquired in 1968 when a performance in the basement of a church in Nanaimo, British Columbia, took an unexpected turn. The neck of his guitar then cracked, so much so that a spectator suggested that he use his own Les Paul instead.

She later inspired the song’s famous riff American Woman during a performance at a curling center.

Julien’s Auctions says the guitar now has an estimated value of between $200,000 and $400,000 US dollars (between $275,000 and $550,000 Canadian dollars).

Other items up for auction include his 1968 Fender Hardtail Stratocaster, used for the song Let It Rideand a 1957 Sunburst Harmony acoustic guitar, the first he purchased as a young violinist and which, by design, evokes the appearance of a violin.