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Steve Vai to auction off monster guitar and gear collection
Highlights include an Ibanez JEM from the Experience Hendrix Tour, a 2012 Evo IV backup, and a wacky Cobra seven-string custom gifted by Bill Conklin.
Image: Julien’s Auctions
Steve Vai superfans are in for a treat: The guitar maestro has announced that he will be auctioning off a sizable chunk of guitars, gear, and memorabilia from his personal collection.
Rock fanatics and gear nerds can choose from a spectacular collection of over 300 items ranging from stage-used guitars to amps to effect pedals, music notes and more across all eras of Vai’s career.
More than 40 guitars will be up for sale, though some have certainly caught our eye, such as the red and blue “Sofia” Ibanez JEM77 from 2011 that was used by Vai during the Experience Hendrix tour that same year.
Created as a result of a design contest held by Ibanez and Vai himself, the instrument is one out of two models ever made — one for Vai and one for the designer, Alessandro Serrago.
Another highlight of the bunch is the Evo IV, a 2012 Ibanez JEM7V in white that was created for Vai as a backup to his main Evo model. Though it’s set up for live performances, the instrument was said to have been used extensively by Vai during rehearsals. Bidding for the Evo IV begins at $2,000, and is expected to fetch up to $12,000.
Other honourable mentions include the “Ode”, a 2005 JEM BRMR with a stunning mirror finish that was used heavily during Vai’s Real Illusions tour, a 1999 double-neck Ibanez STW that never appeared on the Ibanez catalogue, and a custom Conklin seven-string featuring a hand-carved cobra snake body in purple and tan.
“This wild piece of 7 string art was gifted to me back in the late ’80s or early ’90s. It actually plays very well, but it can bite at times if you play wrong notes,” Vai once said of the instrument.
The epic event — dubbed Property from the archives of Steve Vai — will be hosted by Julien’s Auctions, and is set to take place on 12 November in New York and online.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Kicking The Stigma, an initiative that works to raise awareness about mental health disorders and to remove the stigma often associated with these illnesses.
Check out the full listing at juliensauctions.com