Kirk Hammett will be auctioning off more than 150 guitars and pieces of memorabilia from his personal collection – including the mystery Gibson SG he played at Ozzy Osbourne’s last-ever show earlier this year.
For Back to the Beginning, the Metallica guitar hero took to the stage alongside his hard rock and heavy metal peers wielding a mystifying SG that had a fair few fans scratching their heads. He used it to play one of Metallica’s two Sabbath covers, Hole in the Sky.
A few weeks later, it was revealed to be CEO4, the latest passion project of Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian, who helped build the guitar. At the time of its grand reveal, Gueikian said the SG would be auctioned off in support of Gibson Gives.
Now, the CEO4 has edged closer to the auction block, but it’s not alone. It will be joined by a huge assortment of other guitars lifted from Hammett’s personal collection, comprising personal players and stage-played six-strings.
Owing to its Ozzy ties, the CEO4 is understandably going to grab the headlines here, but there are a few other Hammett deep cuts that will no doubt pique the interests of keen Metallica fans.
For example, there’s the Lux Æterna Black Metal guitar that can be seen in the track’s music video. In behind-the-scenes footage, Hammett can be seen carving an ‘X’ into the top. That one has an upper estimate of $12,000.
A 1985 Gibson Custom Shop Michael Schenker Flying V, as well as a 1996 ESP Wavecaster – both of which were used on stage on various Metallica tours – are in the running order. The V was used in 2008, the ESP – which is made from Lucite and filled with colored liquid – played a starring role in the Load and Reload tours of 1996-1997.
There are a fair few other, more reasonably estimated guitars elsewhere in the lot, and while none of them will come anywhere the list of the most expensive guitars to ever sell at auction, there looks to be plenty to satisfy ’Tallica fans.
“The Kirk Hammett Collection features over 150 guitars, storied awards, and stage-played instruments that shaped metal forever,” says Julien’s, which is including the Hammett collection as part of its upcoming Played, Worn & Torn auction event.
Tommy Lee and U2’s Adam Clayton will also be selling off instruments and memorabilia as part of the auction, with the latter offering up a number of bass guitars that shaped the sound of U2 over the years for the event.
“These instruments and artifacts coming directly from the artists themselves represent the soul of music history,” says Martin Nolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions, “with proceeds from the Adam Clayton, Kirk Hammett, and Tommy Lee collections benefiting MusiCares, with additional pieces throughout this historic auction supporting incredible worthwhile causes including Teenage Cancer Trust, Gibson Gives, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
The Played, Worn & Torn auction will take place 20-21 November. Head over to Julien’s Auctions to find out more.
