“An amazing piece of history from the British blues scene”: Robert Plant is selling a trove of gear for charity – including a John Birch-modded ‘62 Stratocaster with two switches that once belonged to Stan Webb of Chicken Shack

A bare-chested Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin performs at Earl's Court, London, in 1975. Guitarist Jimmy Page plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard in the background.

Robert Plant is selling a bunch of his gear to raise money for charity and collectors looking for a golden era Fender Stratocaster with some serious mojo – and some mods that might give the vintage cork-sniffers the heebie-jeebies – should definitely check out the sale.

Sadly, the Led Zeppelin frontman’s 1990 Gibson Les Paul Standard has been sold – Les Paul himself gave it to Plant backstage at the Garden during a Page/Plant show in 1995 – but guitarists perhaps should turn their attentions instead to a 1962 Strat that has been stripped, its fingerboard lacquered, that has entered and exited the workshop of the legendary late British luthier John Birch – a favourite of Tony Iommi's – with a number of mods, including an inspired second pickup selector switch.