A custom Gibson CEO4 guitar wielded by Kirk Hammett during Black Sabbath’s farewell concert has commanded an extraordinary $76,800 at auction, obliterating its £6,000 estimate.
The instrument carried significant weight beyond its monetary worth, having been played during Metallica’s rendition of “Hole in the Sky” at Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert in Birmingham. The performance represented a full-circle moment, with Hammett channelling Black Sabbath’s legacy on their home turf while standing before the Prince of Darkness himself.
As per Metal Injection, Julien’s Auctions facilitated the sale through their annual “Played, Worn & Torn” event, which showcased over 800 pieces of music history spanning multiple genres. The guitar formed part of The Kirk Hammett Collection, offering collectors and enthusiasts access to more than 150 guitars, awards, and road-worn instruments connected to the guitarist who helped sculpt modern heavy music.
Following the Birmingham performance, Hammett signed the Gibson SG before it entered the Gibson Gives Guitar Collection, ensuring proceeds would benefit the Gibson Gives charity initiative while simultaneously enriching the collectors’ market with another high-profile, stage-played metal artefact.
Hammett expressed his philosophy regarding instrument ownership, stating his frustration with guitars remaining unplayed. “I’ve had the collectors bug ever since I can remember. There’s a whole troop of guitars that I’ve just accumulated over the years. Some are touring guitars, and then there’s a whole batch of rare, weird stuff,” he explained.
“It drives me crazy to see the whole bunch of guitars not being played, and that’s my hope that people buy these and play them, record with them, tour with them.”
Metallica just wrapped their Australian tour, which took them to Melbourne, Sydney, and more cities.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of metal, rock, indie, pop, and everything else in between.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ was at the first show of the Metallica tour in Perth last week, and gave it a 4/5 star review.
“[…] Metallica served up a career-spanning smorgasbord that played to many of their strengths and delighted those of a certain age whose jaw hit the floor listening to their 1983 debut Kill ‘Em All, right through to younger fans, of which there are many present tonight,” the publication wrote.
While in the country, Hammett took to the stage at the State Library of NSW for an”intimate, live discussion” in celebration of his new coffee table book, The Collection: Kirk Hammett.
