Guns N’ Roses guitar fetches more than £230,000 at auction

A guitar used by Slash of Guns N’ Roses during the chart-topping rock group’s Not In This Lifetime tour has fetched more than £230,000 at auction.

The photo-matched, stage-used and autographed Gibson Les Paul ‘59 Custom Shop guitar was played during the US band’s 2016 tour, which saw Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reunite for the first time since 1993.

According to Propstore, the sale makes it the most expensive Slash guitar ever sold at auction.

It was one of 327 rare instruments, handwritten lyrics, stage-used pieces and personal artefacts sold at the auction, achieving a total of £1.9 million.

A gold microphone presented to rock band Queen and used by frontman Freddie Mercury sold for £151,200, which is significantly higher than the £30,000 to £60,000 it was expected to sell for.

The microphone was part of Peter Hince’s Queen collection.

“It means a lot to know these pieces are going to fans who truly appreciate what Queen meant and still means today.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Propstore on this, and I’m so pleased to see the collection find such an enthusiastic audience.”

Other pieces sold included an autographed jacket worn by singer Ed Sheeran in his Shape Of You music video, which went for £66,150, and a fedora worn by Michael Jackson in the 1987 Pepsi advert, which sold for £34,650.

A setlist signed by David Gilmour for Pink Floyd’s From A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, which ran from 1987 to 1988, fetched £44,100.

Mark Hochman, Propstore’s music specialist, said: “Today’s auction delivered some truly exceptional results, with multiple records broken across the sale.

“The standout performance of Slash’s stage-used Gibson Les Paul guitar, which set a new world record for Slash memorabilia, was a real highlight.

“The strength of the results and the level of engagement from collectors around the world during our Music Live Auction speak to the true enduring appeal of these iconic artists and the material connected to them.”