NEW YORK, NY.- Following the earlier announcement for From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends, Sotheby’s announced that more than 40 guitars personally owned and played by Grateful Dead founding member and legendary guitarist Bob Weir, by makers such as Alvarez, Ibanez, and Gibson, among others, will be offered as further highlights of the auction dedicated to celebrating the cultural and musical legacy of the famed American band.

The group includes instruments played on stage while touring with the Grateful Dead and RatDog, highlighted by a selection of Weir’s famous Modulus guitars used on Dead tours in the 1980s and 1990s (estimates ranging from $2,000 – $7,000); a 1969 Rosewood Fender Telecaster (estimate $20/25,000); a Washburn acoustic played by Bob Dylan throughout the Dylan and the Dead tour (estimate $5/7,000) in 1987; and two Modulus models custom made for Jerry Garcia (estimates $6/7,000 and $8/10,000).

Richard Austin, Sotheby’s Global Head of Books & Manuscripts, said: “Bob Weir’s voice and guitar were integral parts of the Dead’s unique exploratory sound. With this collection of guitars coming to auction directly from Weir, Grateful Dead fans now have an opportunity to acquire a number of significant guitars that were used in various stage performances spanning Grateful Dead and RatDog tours from the 1980s to the 2000s.”

The guitars will be included in the public exhibition alongside the full contents of the sale from 9 – 13 October in Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries. The auction will be open for bidding from 7 – 14 October via Sothebys.com.

WASHBURN CUTAWAY EA-20 PLAYED BY BOB DLYAN ON THE DYLAN AND THE DEAD TOUR

The Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead Tour of 1987 was a series of six concerts over the summer that combined two musical legends. Throughout the tour, Dylan played his sets using a series of Washburn EA20 guitars, including most notably the present instrument in its distinctive black finish, as featured in many live shots from the tour (estimate $5/7,000).




FENDER ROSEWOOD TELECASTER, SERIAL NUMBER 265496, NECK STAMPED “3 290 99B”, 1969, MADE IN THE USA

On offer with an estimate of $20/25,000, the present model is one of the rarest model Fender Telecasters, and was only produced in limited numbers from 1969 to the early 70s. This guitar is all original, except for changed volume and tone pots. It features a chambered rosewood body, one-piece rosewood neck with maple “skunk stripe,” three way switch, master volume, master tone, 250K ohm potentiometers, “modern” wiring, two single coil pickups, and includes original hard shell case.

MODULUS ELECTRIC GUITARS PLAYED ON STAGE WITH THE GRATEFUL DEAD

Weir became associated with the innovative guitar manufacturer Modulus in the 1980s. He ultimately became an investor in the company and produced a Weir signature model. The sale includes an instrument nicknamed “Palmer,” a Black Knife model with 3 single-coil EMG pickups, stage used with the Dead (pictured left, estimate $5/7,000); a pink Black Knife with a humbucker in the bridge position, which many fans will remember (estimate $3,500/4,500); and another Black Knife instantly recognizable for its three-piece laminate construction, also stage-used with the Dead (estimate $5/7,000).

TWO GUITARS MADE BY MODULUS FOR JERRY GARCIA

The present Modulus guitars were both made for Jerry Garcia: a Black Knife model guitar c. 1993 with no serial number, five piece laminate body with mahogany and cocobolo, graphite neck through body construction, brass bridge, and Roland MIDI GK-2 system added (estimate $6/8,000); another from 1993 with a body made of maple and cocobolo and based on Garcia’s Doug Irwin guitars, with an engraved plate below the bridge which reads: “We shall not cease from exploration / and the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time” (pictured right, estimate $8/10,000).

FROM THE VAULT: PROPERTY FROM THE GRATEFUL DEAD AND FRIENDS

As previously announced, From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends will feature an array of objects celebrating the global phenomenon of the Grateful Dead’s musical and cultural legacy, spanning the band’s earliest years as one of the pivotal artistic focal points of the 1960s counterculture through the heyday of the band’s legendary live performances that filled arenas around the world and transformed the Grateful Dead into the definitive American band, and much more. Featuring items on offer directly from the collections of Grateful Dead Productions and their inner circle, the sale explores the vast cultural impact of the Grateful Dead, and is highlighted by stage equipment from all eras of Grateful Dead tours including surviving components from the legendary Wall of Sound, as well as Jerry Garcia’s stage-used equipment and other touring equipment, a trove of rare and highly coveted Grateful Dead t-shirts, and much more. Separate press release available for further information.