Over 130 Of JEFF BECK's Guitars, Amps And Gear Are Heading To Auction

A celebration of the ultimate guitarist's guitar hero, Christie's is honored to present Jeff Beck: The Guitar Collection, a live auction on January 22, 2025 in London. Spanning his almost six-decades-long career, from joining THE YARDBIRDS in 1965 to his last tour in 2022, this unique auction presents over 130 guitars, amps, pedals, cases and "tools of the trade" used by the late, great guitar legend Jeff Beck (1944–2023).

A multi-Grammy Award-winning artist — twice inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame — his inimitable sound led to collaborations with countless internationally renowned musicians and friends, including Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Ronnie Wood, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Billy Gibbons, Jan Hammer, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Tina Turner, Nile Rodgers, Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Carlos Santana, Imelda May and Johnny Depp, amongst many others.

From the outset, Jeff Beck was a sonic innovator; a maverick and mercurial virtuoso who blazed the trail for musical genres as diverse as psychedelia, heavy metal and jazz-rock fusion, and who embraced a wide range of influences from the blues, rockabilly and rock 'n' roll to Indian sitar music, Bulgarian folk, techno and opera. A maestro of his trade, Jeff could make just about any sound possible with a guitar and an amp. His playing style could not be defined and part of his magic lay in the balance between the fluidity and aggression of his playing and his technical brilliance, which could swing from furious attack one moment to sheer ethereal beauty in the next.

All the guitars he played tell a story and bear the unmistakable signs of his hands, from the Gibson Les Pauls — the "Yardburst" he bought in London in 1966 and the iconic "Oxblood" depicted on the cover of "Blow By Blow" — to the Gretsches inspired by Cliff Gallup of THE BLUE CAPS, and the Fender Teles and Strats which were his "workhorses", describing the latter with which his playing became synonymous as: "My Strat is another arm, it's part of me. It doesn't feel like a guitar at all. It's an implement which is my voice."

The ultimate guitarist's guitarist, Jeff Beck was a rock pioneer whose influence on his peers was unmatched. Now Christie's presents his instruments to the world — the guitars through which he shared his emotion and voice — paying tribute to his enduring legacy.

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Beck died "suddenly" in January 2023 after contracting bacterial meningitis, his representative said.

Having cultivated one of the most influential careers in rock history, Beck was universally acknowledged as one of the most talented and significant guitarists in the world, and has played alongside some of the greatest artists of rock, blues and jazz.

Over the course of his distinguished 50-plus-year music career, he had earned an incredible eight Grammy Awards, been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time," and been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame twice — once as a member of THE YARDBIRDS and again as a solo artist. In the summer of 2016, the guitar virtuoso celebrated his five decades of music with an extraordinary concert at the famous Hollywood Bowl.

Speaking when he was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the second time in 2009, Beck said: "I play the way I do because it allows me to come up with the sickest sounds possible. That's the point now, isn't it? I don't care about the rules. In fact, if I don't break the rules at least 10 times in every song, then I'm not doing my job properly."

Beck famously replaced Eric Clapton as THE YARDBIRDS' lead guitarist in 1965 and later went on to form THE JEFF BECK GROUP, which featured Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass. Their two albums — "Truth" (1968) and "Beck-Ola" (1969) — would become musical touchstones for hard rockers in the years to come.

The constantly evolving Beck's next move — a power trio with bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, which released "Beck, Bogert And Appice" (1973),once again shattered people's preconceptions of what a rock guitarist was supposed to sound like.

1985's "Flash" kept Beck in the spotlight as he earned the "Best Rock Instrumental" Grammy for the song "Escape". A second Grammy came with Jeff Beck's "Guitar Shop" with Terry Bozzio and Tony Hymas, and a third for "Dirty Mind" from the "You Had It Coming" album in 2001. 2009 saw the release of the platinum-selling "Performing This Week… Live at Ronnie Scott's", which earned a Grammy for "A Day In The Life".

Beck's astonishing 2010 solo album, "Emotion & Commotion", brought about two additional Grammy Awards; Beck was nominated in five categories before bringing home three: "Best Rock Instrumental Performance" for "Hammerhead" and "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" for "Nessun Dorma", both from "Emotion & Commotion", and "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" for "Imagine", his collaboration with Herbie Hancock.

His "Rock 'N' Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul)" album was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". In 2016 he released "Loud Hailer" and in 2017 "Jeff Beck: Live At The Hollywood Bowl" was released, both to widespread critical acclaim.

The eight-time Grammy winner is survived by his wife Sandra.