A Gibson ES-175D electric guitar reportedly once belonging to Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin is set to hit the auction block later this month. Made in 1987 and used on GNR's pivotal album of the same year Appetite for Destruction, the hollow-bodied six-string is set to begin bidding at $50,000.
According to Backstage Auctions, Stradlin received the Arctic White-finished guitar from Gibson artist rep Roger Bell in 1987, and played it during various concerts, most notably Guns N’ Roses' show at The Ritz in New York on February 2, 1988.
Following GNR's West Coast run in mid-February of 1988, Stradlin owed money to Howie Hubberman – the band's first manager and owner of Hollywood guitar store Guitars R Us – and so sold him the guitar shortly after.
The ES-175D was later acquired by a local Sunset Strip rock band who continued to own it until 2020, at which point a “veteran music industry executive” bought it from them. It's this mysterious person who has made the guitar available for auction.
The winner of the lot will also receive a hardcase, a professional summary document by the current owner, and a signed and notarized statement from Howie Hubberman.
The auction is set to begin March 20. Backstage Auctions says it has contacted former Guns N’ Roses managers Alan Niven and Doug Goldstein – as well as Izzy Stradlin's attorney – in order to verify the guitar's authenticity.
For more information, head to Backstage Auctions (opens in new tab).
