Rick Nielsen’s five-neck guitar and more are up for auction. Here are the hottest items
Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in celebrity and music memorabilia sales, is hosting The Rick Nielsen Collection, a benefit auction of the Cheap Trick guitarist’s personal guitars, cars, stage-worn wardrobe, and more.
Nielsen, the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for the rock band Cheap Trick, wrote hits like “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me,” “Dream Police,” “She’s Tight” and “If You Want My Love.”
His collecting habit goes back more than five decades. His parents owned a music store, and he started on drums before the Beatles and the Rolling Stones pulled him toward guitar. His first Les Paul, a 1955 Gold Top, cost $65, and he still has it.
The auction takes place October 24, 2026, live at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville, with online, phone and absentee bidding also available. A portion of the proceeds will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Registration is open through Julien’s Auctions.
What’s up for auction
Some of the standout lots from The Rick Nielsen Collection include:
- Stage Played 1975 Hamer Standard Electric Guitar — Estimate: 200,000–300,000
- Stage Played Custom 2004 Hamer Five Neck Korina Electric Guitar — Estimate: 175,000–200,000
- 1955 Ford Thunderbird — Estimate: 60,000–80,000
- 1989 Custom Rick Nielsen Checker John Deere Tractor with Snowplough — Estimate: 20,000–30,000
- 1984 Gibson Les Paul XPL Electric Guitar — Estimate: 15,000–20,000
- “One on One” Album Cover-Worn Sweater — Estimate: 1,000–2,000
“I started out with one guitar, and over the years the collection just kept growing. It seemed like a good time to sell some of it—you can’t take it with you. When it’s all over, hopefully I’ll still have one guitar,” said Rick Nielsen.
Take a look at some of the collection below.
Stage Played 1975 Hamer Standard Electric Guitar, Natural
Built in 1975 and numbered #0004, this guitar was played around the world from the mid ‘70s through the mid ‘80s and is one of the most important of Nielsen’s career. Nielsen wanted an original Gibson Explorer, but they were scarce, so luthier Paul Hamer built him this flame maple version. Hamer sent his own #0000 guitar as a loaner while he finished it, and Nielsen liked it so much that he bought both. This guitar can be seen at the 1978 Budokan concert, Chicagofest in 1981 and Germany’s Rockpalast in 1983.
Estimate: 200,000–300,000
Stage Played Custom 2004 Hamer Five Neck Korina Electric Guitar, Natural
Nielsen played this custom five-neck guitar onstage from 2004 through at least 2013, and it will be offered publicly for the first time ever. It grew out of his original idea for a six-neck guitar that spun like a wheel. He settled on “only” five necks. The lot includes a large black road case.
Estimate: 175,000–200,000
1955 Ford Thunderbird
Nielsen bought this Thunderbird in 1978 and told Goldmine Magazine it was his “first extravagance.” It was previously displayed at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois, in 2012–2013.
Estimate: 60,000–80,000
1958 Ford Ranchero
This Ranchero has auxiliary gauges under the dashboard, a column-mounted tachometer and an “Interceptor Special” badge on the glovebox. The bed wears a custom checker-pattern tonneau cover in the style of Cheap Trick.
Estimate: $40,000–$60,000
1989 Custom Rick Nielsen Checker John Deere Tractor with Snowplough
A vintage John Deere tractor with a checker-pattern livery and custom graphics throughout. It comes with a vintage snowplough bearing Cheap Trick graphics and was also part of the Burpee Museum exhibition.
Estimate: $20,000–$30,000
1984 Gibson Les Paul XPL Electric Guitar, Sunburst
A strange hybrid of a Les Paul body and an Explorer headstock, an idea attributed to Canadian guitarist Aldo Nova during a visit to Gibson’s Kalamazoo, Michigan, plant. It comes with its original hardshell case.
Estimate: $15,000–$20,000
Handwritten “Heaven Tonight” Working Lyrics and Studio Notes
Six sheets of lyrics and studio notes for Cheap Trick’s third studio album, handwritten by Nielsen.
Estimate: $3,000–$4,000
Album Worn Sweater “One on One” with Album Cover and Photo
The multicolored hand-knit wool sweater Nielsen wore on the front and back covers of the band’s 1982 album One on One, decorated with pineapples, palm trees, pyramids and camels. He also wore it in the “If You Want My Love” video and in a 1982 MTV interview.
Estimate: $1,000–$2,000
“One on One” Album Cover-Worn Vintage Detroit Tigers Cap
The navy Detroit Tigers cap Nielsen wore on the cover of One on One. Worn with the bill flipped up, it became central to his “Clown Prince of Rock & Roll” persona.
Estimate: $700–$900
Placing Bids
There are four ways to bid in Live Auctions:
- Bid with Julien’s Auctions online.
- Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative.
- Bid in person in the room at our auction events.
- Bid in advance by absentee bid. Absentee bid forms are available by calling 310-836-1818
Julien’s Auctions accepts payments with cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, DAI, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin and USD Coin.
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