Kirk Hammett used a guitar made by Gibson’s CEO for Metallica’s Black Sabbath farewell performance – and it’s heading to auction
Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning was a triumphant success, with a pantheon of metal legends gathering at Villa Park to pay one last tribute to the Brummie legends who spawned the genre to which they owe everything.
The day saw performances from the likes of Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastodon and Lamb of God, with sets from heavy metal A-listers later on including Metallica, Pantera and Slayer.
READ MORE: “F**k off you’re not marrying my daughter”: Ozzy Osbourne’s hilarious reaction when Slipknot’s Sid Wilson proposed to his daughter Kelly during Black Sabbath’s final show
And for those of us guitar nerds out there – which you may very well be, reading this website – the day saw the guitar legends present showcasing a number of six-string gems, including Kirk Hammett, who among his usual rotating lineup of electric guitars, played a guitar built by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian.
We’ve known about the Metallica guitarist’s close relationship with Gibson’s head honcho for some time – the two have worked together on several signature releases, including the “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that the CEO4 – the one of a kind Gibson SG built by Cesar Gueikian himself – found its way into Hammett’s hands during Back to the Beginning.
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Perhaps we should have seen this coming though, given Gueikian’s Instagram post on 24 May, in which he wrote: “CEO4 is finished! It’s now with one of my Hermanos who will be playing it on stage in July at a special show!”
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The silver SG only made an appearance for one of Metallica’s six songs on the night – a cover of Sabbath’s Hole in the Sky, from 1975’s Sabotage. The thrash legends’ set was rounded out by Creeping Death, For Whom the Bell Tolls, a cover of Sabbath’s Johnny Blade, Battery and Master of Puppets.
And the CEO4 is set to land in the hands of one lucky guitarist out there, as it’s headed to auction some time later this year, according to Gibson.
Given its provenance – and the elite hands and events through which it has passed – we expect it to command a pretty high sale price. Proceeds from the sale will go to charity via Gibson Gives, though, so this is certainly a good thing.
The exact date of said auction is yet to be determined, but we’ll endeavour to keep you in the loop as we know more.
Back to the Beginning also highlighted Gibson’s commitment to charitable causes, as two Gibson SGs – one in Ebony and another in Cherry Red – signed by Tony Iommi also went up for auction.
The Ebony model ended up with 51 bids and sold for £14,750, while the Cherry Red one had 29 bids and sold for £20,666. We’re sure the final bidder on that one placed those final three numbers on purpose.
All proceeds from both sales went to three charities chosen by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath for the event: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
According to Tom Morello – who served as the events musical director – Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning raised a staggering £140 million for charity. Not bad stats at all for a band who gave birth to an entire genre, too…
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
