An auction at Christie’s, in London, guitars and other music equipment from the British guitarist Jeff Beck collected more than 8.7 million pounds (9.7 million francs), including more than 1.06 Million for a single famous “Oxblood” guitar Gibson Les Paul 1954.
This instrument appears on the cover of the solo album “Blow by Blow” (1975) and had been used in many concerts by Jeff Beck, who died in early 2023. His price was estimated between 350,000 and 500,000 pounds (between 391,000 and 670,000 francs).
Among the flagship parts also included a 1990 electric fender guitar, the main instrument used by Jeff Beck between 1999 and 2014, bought for a million pounds, for an estimate between 20,000 and 30,000 pounds.
In total, the sale had more than 130 objects, including guitars and amps, used by Jeff Beck “throughout his career which has spread over almost six decades”, according to Christie’s. This sale “pays tribute to the inheritance of a genius, a real rock legend, revered worldwide,” welcomed Amelia Walker, expert in the private and emblematic collections of Christie’s in London, cited in a press release.
-“I am so happy that Jeff’s guitars were so popular among his fans and friends,” reacted Sandra Beck, the widow of the musician, quoted in the same statement. Before the sale, she had affirmed “the huge heartbreak” that the idea of separating from these instruments represented for her. But they must be “shared, played and loved again,” she said.
Born in June in 1944, in the suburbs of London, Jeff Beck is considered one of the best guitarists of all time, capable of moving from one style to the other: rock, hard rock, blues, jazz. He became famous after joining the rock group The Yardbirds in 1965, where he played with Jimmy Page. The duo has cut his legend with the albums and songs “Shapes of Things” and “Over Under Sideways Down”.
Jeff Beck’s latest tour dates back to 2022. The musician, who died in January 2023 at 78 years old, won eight Grammy Awards, as a reward for his virtuosity and his sense of innovation in electric guitar.
