Randy Bachman digs into his past with plans to auction off 200 of his guitars
![Randy Bachman Canadian rock legend Randy Bachman sings a song with his Gretsch guitar, which was once stolen, after he was reunited with it during the Lost and Found Guitar Exchange Ceremony, Friday, July 1, 2022, at Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2024/4/18/randy-bachman-1-6853363-1713483747521.jpg)
Randy Bachman is bidding farewell to some of the instruments that shaped his legendary rock career, including the guitar used to compose the Guess Who classic "American Woman."
The Winnipeg-born musician says 200 of his signature guitars will be auctioned at New York's Hard Rock Cafe and online on May 29 and 30.
The instruments include the 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar, which Bachman acquired in 1968 when a performance in a Nanaimo, B.C., church basement took an unexpected turn. His own guitar suffered a cracked neck, so a fan offered him the Les Paul as a replacement.
The guitar later inspired the famous "American Woman" riff that came to him during a performance at a curling rink.
Julien's Auctions says the guitar now has a conservative estimated worth of US$200,000 to $400,000.
Other items up for auction include Bachman's 1968 Fender Hardtail Stratocaster, played on the single "Let it Ride," and a 1957 Sunburst Harmony acoustic, the first guitar he acquired as a young violinist -- which by its design evokes the look of a violin.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977053.1721909931!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Sick to my stomach': People grieve Jasper National Park by sharing favourite photos
As an out-of-control wildfire roared through Alberta’s famed Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday, many are fearing the worst as officials warned of 'significant loss' within the area.
DEVELOPING Jasper wildfire burns buildings, while poor air quality forces some fire crews out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Canadian women's soccer team staffer given suspended prison sentence over drone incident, prosecutor says
A Canada women's soccer team staffer has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence after flying a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand team on Monday, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Sale of envoy's NYC condo 'expected to exceed' $9M: government
The current official residence for Canada's representative in New York City is 'being readied for sale,' according to a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.