These bad mofos were Guns N’ Roses in their prime.
And while Slash and his big hat are probably the most recognizable guitar force in the Guns N’ Roses arsenal, it was the rock solid, greasy as hell, street-cred charm and writing sensibilities of Izzy Stradlin that helped solidify these Hollywood strip rejects into what would become one of the biggest bands on the planet.
And although Izzy departed ways with Guns N’ Roses quite early in their success… he left his mark on rock n roll with his contributions to “Appetite For Destruction”. Arguably one of the best rock n roll albums ever made.
And for some reason, Izzy parted ways with one of the guitars he used on that album and following tour. The 1987 Gibson ES-175D axe in arctic white was played by Stradlin on “Appetite for Destruction” and various concerts until roughly February 1988, when Stradlin sold the guitar to GN’R manager Howie Hubberman for drugs. Well, I don’t know for SURE that is was for drugs, but you’d have to be ON drugs to let such an important axe out of your collection. And I’m sure as hell he didn’t get a fraction of $50,000 grand for it. Some other Hollywood band then purchased the instrument from Hubberman’s guitar shop and owned it until 2020, when it was sold to a music industry executive.
“The Gibson ES-175s were a big favorite of mine when we first started,” Stradlin told Guitar Magazine in 1993. “I like Les Pauls but the hollow bodies are great because I can play them in hotel rooms or anywhere without an amp. I just love the look, the feel, and the sound those things get.”
“The guitar shows all the critical details that demonstrate the authenticity of this magnificent instrument,” an official Backstage Auctions description reads. “Under the crevasse where the body meets the backside of the neck is an imprint of the yellow nylon rope with a diamond pattern which is evidence of ‘rope burn’ from Izzy’s guitar strap. Further, there are glue marks left where the bridge was reattached after it became dislodged when the guitar was restrung. Next, the guitar has an exposed screw hole from where the pick guard was removed and lastly, the fourth knob that is missing in some of the pictures was included in the storage compartment of the guitar case.”
As of this posting in mid-march 2021, the auction is currently in preview only. For some reason, there is no starting date posted. I assume one would have to register as a user to get final details on how to bid… y’know… if you got a spare $50,000 lying around. Although, as far as rock n roll memorabilia goes, this is probably a pretty ‘rock’ solid investment.
Here’s an AWESOME classic Guns N’ Roses set from New York in 1988 featuring Izzy using the now infamous guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDiZA9sgDRg&ab_channel=MoonlightVideo
