Randy Bachman's extensive guitar collection is set to be auctioned at New York's Hard Rock Cafe on May 29 and 30. This auction will feature over 200 signature guitars, instruments, and equipment, including Bachman's prized possession - his 1959 Les Paul Standard, the guitar behind The Guess Who's hit American Woman.
In a recent Guitar World interview, Bachman explains why he decided to part with his collection: “The big thing is that my ’57 Gretsch, which was stolen in 1978, was recovered. A guy in Japan had it, and I traded him one of my other guitars to get it back.”
“Getting that guitar back and playing it so much got me thinking about the other guitars in my possession, so I’m working with Julien’s Auctions in New York City, and we’ll sell some. One will be my ’59 Les Paul, which is too heavy for me now.”
Bachman first acquired this guitar in 1968 while playing at a church basement in Nanaimo, British Columbia. As luck would have it, an audience member offered their instrument in place of the cracked guitar he was playing. This guitar inspired the riff and featured heavily on the 1970 album American Woman. The iconic Les Paul has a conservative estimate of $200,000-$400,000.
From the '59 Les Paul, Bachman went on to add a 1955 white Fender Stratocaster and a 1968 Fender hardtail Stratocaster to his toolbox. The 1968 Strat became his guitar of choice during his Bachman–Turner Overdrive days, taking the place of the American Woman Les Paul. These two Strats are also up for auction, with the former estimated at $100,000-$200,000 and the latter at $20,000-$40,000.
Speaking of Strats, the auction also features a black 1959 example, which took Bachman 30 years to acquire. After having his eye on it for three decades, Bachman finally wore down the original owner, Winnipeg musician George Johns, enough to sell it to him.
Perhaps the most surprising part of Bachman's collection is his range of museum-quality instruments, crafted between the 1950s and 1960s by German luthiers. Bachman has a special affinity for German archtops, which he meticulously collected over three decades. Among these, you can find his 1955 Hoyer Bianka acoustic archtop guitar in blonde finish, which Bachman calls: “Art you can play!”
Guitar enthusiasts have the unique opportunity to admire these guitars at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York between May 22 and May 28 before the auction takes place.
For more information on the Randy Bachman guitar collection and to view the whole catalog, head to Julien's Auctions.
