Rock legend Jeff Beck’s collection sells for £8.7m

More than 120 guitars, amps and pedals from the career of legendary rock musician Jeff Beck have been sold at auction for £8.7m, more than eight times the pre-sale estimate.

All the items sold at an auction in London on Wednesday brought in £8,727,284, with bids received from 40 countries.

The 1954 “Oxblood” Gibson Les Paul guitar, which appeared on the cover of the musician’s 1975 album Blow by Blow, was bought for £1,068,500,

All face value of the final four items, which included a guitar and artwork, was earmarked to benefit Folly Wildlife Rescue in Tunbridge Wells, a charity supported by Beck, his wife Sandra and actor and close friend Johnny Depp. .

The items sold by auction house Christie’s raised more than £125,000 for a Kent charity, which it said was “blown away by the bidding war”.

Mrs Beck said: “I am delighted that Jeff’s guitars are so popular with his fans and friends.

“Thank you so much for your confidence in Jeff’s legacy.”

A white Fender guitar was also bought at the auction for £1,008,000, while the pre-sale estimate was between £20,000–£30,000.

While a Jackson guitar signed by Tina Turner sold for more than 36 times its pre-sale estimate, achieving a winning bid of £441,000.

A paddleboard, which included the system used on Beck’s last tour in 2022, sold for £126,000, with an estimate of £3,000-£5,000.

Beck was born in 1944 in Wallington, then part of the county of Surrey. died at his home in Wadhurst, East Sussex in 2023 at the age of 78.

He became famous in the mid-sixties as a member of a band called The Yardbirds, which also included Surrey guitarists Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.

Amelia Walker, specialist head of private and prestigious collections at Christie’s in London, said: “We are thrilled with the results of Jeff Beck’s incredible collection, which testifies to the legacy of a genius – a globally respected true rock legend.”