Jeff Beck’s iconic guitars fetch nearly €10 million at UK auction

A treasure trove of Jeff Beck’s guitars and memorabilia has been auctioned in the UK, achieving a total of nearly €10 million. Bidders from 40 countries vied for pieces of the British icon’s musical legacy.

90 different guitars belonging to Beck were sold. The highlight sale was Beck’s 1954 ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul. Initially estimated to sell for around €600,000, the guitar went for more than €1.2 million following an intense four-minute bidding war.

Speaking about The Oxblood, Amelia Walker, the specialist head of Private & Iconic Collections at Christie’s said before the auction, “It is actually the third Gibson Les Paul that Jeff bought in late 1972, in Memphis while he was there on tour with Beck, Bogert and Appice, his power trio and it’s iconic because as soon as he bought it, it was the only guitar he played for the next two, three years.”

Beck’s widow Sue said in a statement, “I am so happy that Jeff’s guitars have been so popular amongst his fans and friends.”

The auction featured several other iconic guitars, including a customised solid-body electric guitar from 1990 and 1993 known as ‘Anoushka’ and the 1956 Fender ‘Tele-Gib’, a hybrid guitar Beck famously modified by combining elements of a Telecaster and a Gibson.

“The Stratocaster is called Anoushka because it was signed by Ravi Shankar’s daughter Anoushka Shankar, and they played a charity benefit together in the early 2000s,” explains Walker.

A pedalboard used during Beck’s final tour in 2022 also sold for an impressive €143,640, far exceeding its estimated value of €3,420 – €5,700.

Twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — with the Yardbirds and as a solo artist – Beck played with everyone from Rod Stewart to Davie Bowie, Stevie Wonder and Tina Turner. He is widely considered to one of the most influential rock guitarists of all time.