80 signed guitars to be auctioned in aid of Dio cancer charity

The BC Rich KK Beast V guitar contributed by Slayer and signed by the band
The BC Rich KK Beast V guitar contributed by Slayer and signed by the band

Come Saturday (1 December) up to 80 guitars, all signed by music celebrities, will be auctioned off in order to raise money for the Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, a charity set-up following the death of legendary metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio in 2010.

Among the lots are signed guitars donated by Brian May, Sting, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Slash, Slayer, Tom Morello, and members of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, the Alice Cooper Band, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and Iron Maiden.

The auction will also feature a prototype guitar made for Eddie Van Halen, and (of course) signed by the shred pioneer himself, as well as a hand-carved Ronnie James Dio memorial guitar, built by the team at DBZ.

The auction will take place at 2PM (PST)/10PM (GMT) on 1 December at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills as part of the Icons And Idols - Rock 'n' Roll collection. Online and telephone bids are also welcome. Just head to the Icons And Idols - Rock 'n' Roll auction page to view the lots and find out how to make a bid.

If you're in the area, a free exhibition of many of the items featured in the auction will be running during the auction house's regular business hours of 10am to 5pm until Friday (November 30).

Matthew Parker

Matt is a freelance journalist who has spent the last decade interviewing musicians for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.