AL.com published the initial version of this story Wednesday night. At that time, AL.com had reached out for more information to involved parties and indicated we’d update the story if more details became available. Below is the updated version of the story.
An instrument played by one of rock’s coolest guitarists should make for hot bidding. A 1987 Gibson ES-175D previously owned by classic-era Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin is headed to auction via backstageauctions.com.
According to the listing, Stradlin played the Gibson on “‘Appetite for Destruction’ album recordings,” referencing the title of GN’R debut album. “Appetite” was not only a mega-seller (18 million U.S., 30 million worldwide and counting), but the album’s street-band sound shook hard-rock out of its poufy glam phase.
The starting bid for the guitar is $50,000. The auction opens March 20 and concludes March 29. The instrument’s color is “arctic white.” Gibson began making the ES-175D, a hollow-body style electric, around 1949. A 1987 ES-175D not played by a famous rocker can be had for around three grand, according to online guitar sales hub reverb.com.
In a 1993 Guitar Player interview, Stradlin said, “The Gibson ES-175s were a big favorite of mine when we first started. I could get them for $300 or $400. 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.”
BAYSHORE, NY - OCTOBER 16: Izzy Stradlin of Guns N Roses performs at Sundance On October 16, 1987 In Bayshore New York. (Photo by Larry Marano/Getty Images)
According to the auction listing, this particular ES-175D was made March 19, 1987 at Gibson Guitars’ Nashville plant. Backstage Auction’s website includes a detailed physical description of the guitar and several vintage photos of Stradlin with his white ES-175 that match, such as the “imprint of the yellow nylon rope with a diamond pattern which is evidence of ‘rope burn’ from Izzy’s guitar strap.” Period photos of Stradlin with a ES-175D show a piece of yellow rope connecting his guitar to his strap.
Recording sessions for “Appetite” are said to have begun January 1987. According to a Loudwire retrospective, basic tracks were cut in about two weeks, overdubs continued “and the band finished most of their work between March and April” at facilities including Rumbo Studios and Take One Studio. Further overdubs took place later in New York, according to Loudwire, where “Appetite” was also mixed and eventually mastered.
On Thursday I corresponded with Backstage Auctions co-owner Kelli van Gool. The auction guitar’s manufacture date and “Appetite” recording timelines overlap, but apparently not during basic tracking. So I asked van Gool to clarify the listing’s phrasing, that the guitar was used for “‘Appetite for Destruction’ album recordings.” Does that mean overdubs? Material that didn’t make the album? A specific guitar part or song on “Appetite”?
“We have no definitive data that indicates which specific songs the guitar had been used on during the recording of ‘AFD,’” van Gool says. “With the recordings starting in January and ending in July, and the guitar being manufactured on March 19, 1987, it is reasonable to assume that the guitar was used during the later stages of the album recording.”
Stradlin can be seen playing a white ES-175D in the “Live at The Ritz” 1988 New York concert broadcast on MTV. It’s a historical show for a couple reasons. One, because it’s a blazing gig by a band about to zoom to superstardom, and two, “Ritz” was the first time many fans saw what this dangerous Los Angeles band was really like onstage.
During the’ 88 Ritz set, GN’R blazed through now-classic “AFD” songs like “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Paradise City” and the aforementioned “Jungle.” The quintet also unleashed a fantastic metallic cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” which quickly became a fixture on request show “Dial MTV.”
After getting a taste via “Ritz,” a bazillion fans have since seen Guns N’ Roses concerts in the flesh, after the group hit private-jet levels of fame, fortune and debauchery. Eventually Stradlin got sober, became frustrated with living inside a leather circus and quit the band during the epic tour for the 1991 “Use Your Illusion” albums.
According to Backstage Auctions, after the ’88 Ritz show, Guns N’ Roses returned to the West Coast for a series of performances. Stradlin reportedly owed guitar retailer and early GN’R financer Howie Hubberman money and sold Hubberman the Gibson, the listing states.
After Stradlin sold to Hubberman, “Izzy’s girlfriend at the time - Stacy King - alerted two of her friends who played in a local Sunset Strip rock band,” the auction listing states. “They bought this guitar, as well as a 1987 black Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion, from Howie’s store and for the past 32 years, the guitars have been in their possession. They sold the guitars in 2020 to a veteran music industry executive.”
A 1987 Gibson ES-175D said to have been owned by classic-era Guns N’ Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin is headed to auction via backstageauctions.com. (Backstage Auctions)
According to the listing, the ES-175D auction includes the original case and a signed, notarized statement from Hubberman. The listing, lot #1153, states former GN’R managers Alan Niven and Doug Goldstein and Stradlin’s attorney had been contacted to verify the guitar’s provenance.
Provenance is a record of ownership for a unique collectible, artwork, etc., used to indicate authenticity. In the process of acquiring the guitar a while back, the consignor, who wishes to remain anonymous, says he reached out to Goldsten and Niven about the guitar’s history. On Thursday, I contacted Goldstein, who didn’t immediately remember the conversation. In an email, Niven says, “I don’t recall verifying the guitar ... and the most I would have said is that it looks like one he’d had.”
During the process of reporting this story, I had an off-the-record phone conversation with the consignor, which included more about the guitar’s history and other individuals the consignor says verified this was indeed Stradlin’s former ES-175D. But as those comments were off-the-record, unfortunately they can’t be included here.
van Gool stands behind the guitar’s authenticity, “We have to stick to the three core elements that are beyond doubt,” she says, “which is that A) this is Izzy’s famous 1987 Gibson ES-175D guitar, B) that it was used during the ‘Appetite’ recording sessions, and C) that it was used in concert, as evidenced by film footage and photos.”
As far as just asking Stradlin, né Jeffrey Isbell, about the guitar, you’d have a better chance of tracking down D.B. Cooper. Izzy is famously one of rock’s greatest recluses. And he seems at peace that way, so more power to him. But if he wants to chat about this guitar, my email is mwake@al.com. van Gool said she was not at liberty to give out Stradlin’s attorney’s contact info, which is congruent with the guitarist’s private nature. I personally believe this is The Ritz guitar.
On “Appetite,” Stradlin and mononymous soloist Slash formed an all-time rawk guitar tandem. Right up there with The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Mick Taylor, AC/DC’s Angus and Malcolm Young and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry and Brad Whitford. While Stradlin’s guitar playing wasn’t as serpentine as Slash’s, Izzy exuded effortless rogue elan, reminiscent of punk legend Johnny Thunders and even Keef himself.
For “Appetite,” produced by Mike Clink and mixed by Michael Barbiero and Steve Thompson, Stradlin’s guitars were panned to the left channel. Slash’s guitars, hard right. This sonic arrangement reflects the guitarists’ stage set-up, as Slash was on stage-left and Stradlin stage-right.
On “Appetite,” Slash’s primary guitar, as heard on the album’s hummable, humungous solos, was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul replica made by local luthier Kris Derrig. In a 2016 LA Weekly story, “AFD” producer Clink told me, “We knew instantly that was the tone for the record.” Amplifier wise, Slash played a modified rented Marshall amp on “Appetite” while Stradlin reportedly favored Mesa/Boogie.
It was Niven who found that Derrig replica, at Redondo Beach retailer Music Works, and gave it to Slash. A few days before purchasing the Derrig, Niven Stopped by Take One during the “Appetite” sessions and parked next to GN’Rs rental van. In that 2016 Weekly story, Niven recalled, “There was a [expletive] [Gibson] SG [guitar] though the windscreen, neck-first. And that’s a message that even I can understand.” Sensing artistic frustration, Niven went out looking for a better guitar fit for Slash. And the rest is rock history.
On Thursday, I asked Niven if he recalled Stradlin using a white Gibson ES-175D during the “Appetite” sessions. Back then Niven was also working with bluesy hard-rockers Great White, another band he managed but also produced and composed for, on a new album, which became multi-platinum LP “...Twice Shy.” So he was rarely at “AFD” sessions, making the decision to trust Clink with capturing GN’R volatile magic. Those instincts were true.
Other notable Gibson ES-175D players include Yes virtuoso Steve Howe and jazzer Pat Metheny. Blue Oyster Cult guitarist Buck Dharma is said to have used one on rock-radio staple “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”
van Gool says past guitars sold via Backstage Auctions include a Gibson Explorer that Motley Crue’s Mick Mars used while recording 1985 Crue LP “Theater of Pain.” Current listings include an Ovation acoustic guitar Axl Rose is said to have given now-deceased Blind Melon singer Shannon Hoon, who contributed backing vocals on 1991 GN’R power-ballad “Don’t Cry.” Starting bid is $2,000. Non-instrument items on Backstage Auctions include a Motorhead T-shirt owned and worn by late great Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. Starting bid, $300.
In 1992, Stradlin released the LP “Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds,” which to this day remains the best Rolling Stones solo album ever, even though Stradlin never actually joined The Stones. Over the decades Izzy has occasionally resurfaced to release new solo material. He even sat-in a few times with Rose’s Slash-less “Chinese Democracy” version of GN’R.
Rose reunited with Slash and bassist Duff McKagan in 2016 for the spectacularly lucrative multi-year “Not In This Lifetime Tour,” To the disappointment of some GN’R fans, neither Stradlin nor “AFD” drummer Steven Adler were along for the ride, although Adler made a few brief but thrilling guest appearances.
After Rose gave a somewhat evasive answer in 2016 to a Brazilian TV interviewer’s question of why Stradlin wasn’t involved, Stradlin spoke up via Twitter, posting: “They didn’t want to split the loot equally. Simple as that.” And for many fans, Guns N’ Roses without Izzy isn’t really Guns N’ Roses. Simple as that.
