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Thu, Mar 28, 2024

Geddy Lee auctioning off six vintage guitars at upcoming Mecum Auction in Las Vegas

Sat, Aug 31, 2019@11:35AM | comments

Over the course of the last several years Rush's Geddy Lee has amassed a huge collection of vintage guitars while compiling his Big Beautiful Book of Bass. He recently decided to unload a few of the guitars, and will make six of the vintage instruments from his collection available for bidding at a Mecum Auction in Las Vegas this coming October as described here (thanks Richard R):

... With his book now a complete and published piece and his private collection of guitars nearing 300 in total, Lee said he feels that the time has come to reunite a select few of his finest string instruments with talented musicians around the world who can help these works of art fulfill their original and intended purpose of making art. As such, a small selection of six blue-ribbon, coveted classic guitars from Lee's private collection is now slated to join the Mecum Auction lineup for the Las Vegas auction this October 10-12 as part of Mecum's new department: Mecum Presents Guitar Search by Domino, and ... the highlight of his upcoming offering in Las Vegas is a special-edition Gibson often referred to as the holy grail of guitars: a 1959 Les Paul Standard with Sunburst finish. Produced for just three years, the Les Paul Standards, built by Gibson, are considered by many to be the pinnacle of the American electric guitar, and they rank as the most collectible vintage guitars on the market. According to Tony Bacon's book, "50 Years of the Gibson Les Paul: Half a Century of the Greatest Electric Guitars," only about 650 of the guitars were produced in 1959, and it is estimated that fewer than 1,700 of the desirable 1958-1960 "Burst" design examples in total are still extant today; Lee's 1959 model is in stunning original condition, save for a single refret, and it comes with the original case. A rare piece like this in any state and from any collection would be a remarkable find, and this one's original condition and status as an exalted member of rock legend Geddy Lee's previously untouchable private collection catapult it into the stratosphere of the truly one-of-a-kind, inimitable classics. All six of the guitars Lee has hand selected to join the Mecum Las Vegas auction lineup are rare and investment-worthy guitars, and all share that inextricable tie to the legendary musician and his amazing, documented private collection of instruments, from which he has never before offered a single one for sale. ...

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