It's no mystery Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen is one seriously obsessive guitar collector. A walk through Rick's vault is a walk through a museum of some of the most iconic and important guitars of all time. From vintage Gibsons to lapsteels and shredders, there's hardly a type of guitar that can't be found somewhere in the vault.
Last month we were privilege to help the checkerboard-ed Cheap Tricker set up an official Reverb shop to thin the heard and make room for some new additions he's found on the road and on Reverb. The first round of guitars and amps all sold lightening quick, and we're sure round two will fly just as fast. Visit Rick's shop on Reverb to see the latest additions to Rick's personal guitar sale.
Just as with the first visit we made to the vault, the Reverb crew was blindfolded and taken to the undisclosed location that was heavily guarded by Dream Police. Being in the vault is overwhelming — hundreds of history-rich instruments, all with a connection to Rick's music. Rarities and vintage gems like his Les Paul Jumbo acoustic, a 1966 Rickenbacker 360/12, a '54 Les Paul previously owned by Jeff Beck, and even the first Les Paul Robot guitar ever produced were just a few that caught our eye.
Every case we pulled out and opened was met with a hilarious story or detailed description from Rick. We found a pair of gorgeous mid-2000s Les Pauls, for example. One he kept, but the other—a Lemonburst with a '58 neck—will be available for sale at Rick's shop:
"This is one of the [Les Pauls] that were made for me. I went down to Nashville and I went through and spit on the wood to see the grain and all that stuff, but they lost my spit...So I got 4 of them made, but they weren’t made with that wood."
A rare Gibson Les Paul Jumbo acoustic, the first one we've ever seen!
Rick's Rick: Jim@Reverb strums a Rickenbacker 360/12 C63.
The first Robot Guitar produced by Gibson, with documentation.
Rick's mid-2000s Lemonburst Les Paul, available for sale on Reverb.com
Rick's 1950s ES-330TN, available for sale on Reverb.com
Rick's 1960s Vox acoustic
A custom Hamer Flying V in Rick's signature checkered finish.
One from Rick's vast collection of lap steels
Rick's travel guitar by Hamer made to fit under the seat of a plane.
Another Hamer Flying V, this one in a gold-sparkle finish.
The mintiest 1960s Gibson Les Paul Junior in Rick Nielsen's collection.
Rick taking us down memory lane with case-candy.
Rick's 1960s Gibson Hummingbird, strung in Nashville-tuning.
A crazy guitar with individual tone & volume controls for each of the 6 lipstick pickups.
Jim found one last one on the way out, a '60s Framus that's for sale at Rick's Reverb shop.
It's always a riot hanging with Rick, and we'll definitely be back up to pick up more guitars to move in the future. A tried-and-true collector, Rick will always be itching to add new pieces to his collection, and Reverb will always be there to help him make space.
In the meantime, follow Rick's shop on Reverb for updates and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news from the wide world of gear.
