Rick Nielsen is offering up an everything must go sale on his massive guitar collection. Well, not everything, but a huge bulk of it, according to the iconic rocker.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Nielsen, the famed Cheap Trick guitarist, announced Monday that he is auctioning off over 300 items, including 70 guitars, through Julien's Auctions.
"The Rick Nielsen Collection" will officially go on sale Oct. 24 at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum at the Historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Fans can also place bids online.
Rick Nielsen Launches Massive Auction
The wild collection includes two 1968 Gibson Explorers, and a 1963 Guild Merle Travis, one of only three ever made. One of his three custom five-neck guitars is also set for auction, the stage-played 2004 Hamer "Five Neck" Korina, estimated to sell for more than $175,000.
Nielsen's 1975 Standard electric Hamer will also be up for grabs. The 77-year-old rocker used the custom-built guitar frequently throughout the '70s and '80s, including memorable performances at Japan's The Budokan in 1978, Chicagofest in 1981, and Rockpalast in Germany in 1983.
Nielsen explained that his wife was the driving force behind the massive auction.
"I've owned over 2,000 instruments: drums, keyboards, amps. I'm whittling it down to about 600," Nielsen said in a video for Julien's Auctions.
"I always told people, when I die, my wife will probably sell everything for a dollar, so stick around," he joked. "But then I lived a bit longer than she thought."
In addition to the dozens of sleek, custom-made guitars, Nielsen is auctioning off several luxury vehicles. Plus handwritten pages of lyrics, signed posters, used amplifiers, stage-worn clothing, prescription eyeglasses, a custom checkered John Deere tractor and, oddly, a 1988 UK work permit.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Nielsen, an Illinois native, co-founded Cheap Trick in 1973.
The rock band landed its first major hit with 1979's live version of "I Want You to Want Me," which peaked at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Deacdes later, the band, which released its 21st studio album last year, is still actively touring.
Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2016.
