“You need to be in pretty good physical shape to play one of these instruments”: This epic six-neck guitar from Spinal Tap dubbed The Beast is headed to auction
Looking for something epic to spice up your guitar collection? Here’s your chance: This monstrous six-neck electric guitar, once played by English comedian and musician Bill Bailey and immortalised by Spinal Tap will go under the hammer later this month.
Aptly named The Beast, this insane looking instrument is set to be sold at auction for the second time in four years by UK auctioneer Gardiner Houlgate. Creator Gary Hutchins once described it as “the guitar that should never have been made,” though that hasn’t stopped The Beast from achieving its iconic status.
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Featuring an over-the-top design that only Spinal Tap could make famous, The Beast boasts six different necks: a twelve-string, a six-string with a Floyd Rose tremolo, a five-string bass, a four-string bass, a seven-string guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo, and a standard six-string. Each of the necks has a rosewood fingerboard. The near-17 kilogram guitar also comes shipped with an original gig bag.
Decked out in metallic red and signed on the front and back by Hutchins himself, this instrument is equal parts rock relic and engineering marvel.
While multi-neck guitars are already a rarity, one with six necks is practically unheard of. The Beast is believed to be among a handful of the five and six-neck guitars that have ever been made.
“You need to be in pretty good physical shape to play one of these instruments – and a sturdy guitar strap,” says auctioneer Luke Hobbs. “We’ve only ever sold one of them before so they’re very rare on the open market.”
The Beast was previously featured in The Power of Making exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. It is estimated to fetch between £2000-3000 at the upcoming auction. For collectors, Spinal Tap fans, and those looking to own a piece of absurd rock history, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — just make sure you’ve been hitting the gym before you try to play it.
Learn more at Gardiner Houlgate.
The post “You need to be in pretty good physical shape to play one of these instruments”: This epic six-neck guitar from Spinal Tap dubbed The Beast is headed to auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
