Guns N’ Roses’ guitar hopes to fetch £300,000 at music memorabilia auction

The guitar used by Slash of Guns N’ Roses during the chart-topping rock group’s Not In This Lifetime tour is expected to fetch as much as £300,000 when it is offered 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.

The instrument, which carries an estimate of £150,000 to £300,000, is due to go under the hammer at Propstore auction house in London next month as part of the Music Memorabilia Live Auction collection.

A jacket worn by the late George Michael during the music video for his 1987 hit single Faith is also up for sale, and hopes to fetch between £60,000 and £120,000.

The Grammy-winning artist, known for hits including Father Figure and One More Try, also wore the jacket onstage during his Faith tour in 1998.

The auction is taking place on April 30 and will also include a gold microphone presented to rock band Queen and used by frontman Freddie Mercury, which expects to sell for £30,000 to £60,000.

The microphone is part of a collection belonging to Peter Hince, the band’s head roadie and auction consignor, who said he has “wonderful memories” working with the best-selling group.

He added: “I’m pleased to be offering (these items) through Propstore, where they can now be shared with fans and collectors who appreciate what they represent in Queen’s story.”

Also up for sale is an autographed large-format promotional poster for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, signed by the former Beatles singer hours before his death in 1980, aged 40.

The item is expected to fetch between £60,000 and £120,000 and is up for sale alongside handwritten lyrics to Goodbye written by Lennon’s bandmate, Sir Paul McCartney, which dates to 1969 and is expected to fetch £55,000 to £110,000.

Other items up for sale include a Fred Perry trench coat belonging to the late Amy Winehouse – which has a pre-sale estimate of £4,000 to £8,000 – and an autographed jacket worn by singer Ed Sheeran in his Shape Of You music video, which is expected to sell for between £3,500 and £7,000.

The event will offer more than 400 lots available for worldwide bidding, with a combined pre-sale estimate of £1.5 million.

Mark Hochman, Propstore music specialist, said: “Propstore’s upcoming Music Live Auction brings together some of the most influential names in popular music, from legends such as The Beatles, Queen, George Michael and Jimi Hendrix to modern global stars including Ed Sheeran and Little Mix.

“Featuring stage-used instruments, handwritten lyrics and iconic performance-worn pieces – including over 60 items from the personal collection of Queen head roadie Peter Hince – the sale spans genres, generations and defining cultural moments.

“Each lot offers collectors a tangible connection to the artists and performances that helped shape the soundtrack of our lives.”