Washburn, Randall and Ampeg Gear Highlight the RGMM Auction

What do Scott Ian and Charlie Benante of Anthrax, John Tempesta (The Cult, Testament, White Zombie), Mike Tempesta (Powerman 5000), Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, DIO) and Matt McDonough (Mudvayne) all have in common?

Okay, besides the fact that they’re all Rock and Metal icons who’ve collectively sold multiple millions of copies of albums…

They are all consignors in the 2012 Backstage Auctions "Rock Gods and Metal Monsters" Auction who are consigning a plethora of personally owned and stage used musical equipment such as one-of-a-kind guitars, amps, speaker cabinets, guitar effects, drum heads, sticks, cymbals & more! Yes, in addition to multitudes of collectibles such as stage worn clothing, backstage passes, tour itineraries and such - these guys have generously opened their collection to YOU and I, the fans, to have an opportunity to own and cherish some of the very equipment used on tours, recordings, videos and more. Our phones and emails have been blowing up with folks who can’t wait for our Auction Preview to begin so they can check some of this stuff out - so we figured we’d throw you all a bone and shed a little light on some of the rockin’, top of the line professional gear we have.

Scott Ian's Murder Weapon and Suit

Our specially highlighted consignor this year is legendary guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax. Scott has provided us with a dozen personally owned and used Washburn guitars, all showing varying degrees of use and bearing his personal signature. Scott’s endorsement with Washburn has produced some of the most gnarly looking, heavy sounding guitars in the industry! Take this ‘Murder Weapon’ for example. Pictured right is a Washburn SI91 Limited Edition Murder Weapon. Each Limited Edition Murder Weapon is one-of-a-kind guitar - beaten, blood stained and signed by Scott in the Washburn Custom Shop. Scott has also included the very paint suit worn when he customized the guitar! Horns up!

Scott Ian's Randall V2

In addition to Scott’s Washburns, we have 10 of his personally owned and used Randall amps! Used on various and/or multiple tours and recordings, these amps have driven Scott’s brutal sound over the years and bear the marks to prove it! For example, this Randall V2 amplifier pictured left shows black sharpie marks around each of the tone and EQ controls for Scott’s preferred settings! It doesn’t get much more personal than that folks.

It takes more than just an amplifier to have a sound as big as Scott’s. We also have 2 of his Randall speaker cabinets, outfitted with two 12” Celestion Vintage 30 speakers on top and one 15” Eminence Legend speaker on bottom. This combination of speakers creates such an enormous sound with an awesome balance of high and low end! And they just look awesome with that ‘Anthagram’ painted on the front. Double horns up!

We have so much more to offer in addition to Scott’s gear! Legendary rock bassist Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, DIO) has provided us with a unique assortment of his equipment as well. In addition to multiple effects and processors used in touring and in his home studio, Rudy has graciously offered his Ampeg SVT 4 PRO amp, and 2 individual Ampeg SVT-810 speaker cabinets, all used on tour with DIO and Quiet Riot! These items will be shipped from Rudy’s personal home studio and he has even offered to sign and personalize everything upon purchase!

In the midst of all this excitement we can’t overlook some exceptionally rare and unique Schecter guitars we have. Former Powerman 5000 guitarist Mike Tempesta has provided us with 3 of his custom Schecter guitars, including this ‘Bloody’ one shown below in this video:

We also have an assortment of small gear in this auction: Wah pedals, stompboxes, preamps, effect processors and much more! A few that catch our eye are this Dunlop ‘Crybaby From Hell’ Wah pedal (Dimebag Darrell model), signed and used by Scott Ian - which still contains tape on the bottom from being stuck to Scott’s pedal board! Also, this Scott Ian DigiTech Black 13 Distortion pedal, featuring 7 presets of Scott’s most celebrated distortion tones!

Stage Used "Crybaby From Hell"

Scott Ian Black 13 Distortion

  

Fear not - our gear in this auction is not solely limited to guitarists. We also have a nice assortment of Zildjian, Ludwig, Paiste, Tama, and Pearl drum goodies! We’ve got used cymbals, drum heads, sticks and hardware from notable rock drummers like Charlie Benante (Anthrax), John Tempesta (The Cult, Testament, White Zombie), Robert Garven (Cirith Ungol) and Matt McDonough (Mudvayne), to name a few.

Check out this John Tempesta lot that features a signed 16” Remo drum head, used on a recent tour with The Cult, paired with a signed brand new pair of his signature Vic Firth drumsticks - now that’s a framer!

John Tempesta Stage Used Drumhead

Or what about this concert used 15” Alchemy Professional crash cymbal that belonged to Matt McDonough and was used on Mudvayne tours during the early 2000s - it shows some definite wear and is signed by Matt!

Matt McDonough Stage Used Cymbal

Whatever your fancy, this auction has something for YOU. Above is but a small fraction of the overall music gear and equipment available in the upcoming Backstage Auctions "Rock Gods and Metal Monsters" Auction. Be sure to check back regularly for updates, and definitely tune in to our VIP PREVIEW from April 14 - 20! The auction will go live and open for bidding on April 21st.

Rock yourself over now and get your VIP All Access Pass: Grab Your Pass

Backstage Auctions Announces Headliners for Annual "Rock Gods and Metal Monsters Auction"

The auction will showcase over 900 exceptionally rare  pieces of rock memorabilia direct from the private collections of notable rock and metal icons from Anthrax, M.O.D./ S.O.D., Testament, White Zombie, The Cult, Mudvayne, Helmet, Cirith Ungol, Ministry, Quiet Riot, Dio, Whitesnake, Queensryche, Powerman 5000 and more.

Scott Ian (Anthrax) - Personally Used Guitar

Houston, TX – March 13, 2012 – Backstage Auctions is proud to present their annual "Rock Gods and Metal Monsters Auction", a one of kind, rock you to your core, online auction event. "Almost every item being offered in the auction is iconic hard rock and heavy metal memorabilia and is easily identifiable to a specific artist or band that spans 3 decades," explains Backstage Auctions founder Jacques van Gool.

Scott Ian sealing the deal.

The auction, which is scheduled to go live in April, features amazing rock relics direct from the personal  collections of Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, Robert Garven, Page Hamilton, John Tempesta, Mike Tempesta, Matt McDonough, Sean Yseult, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Rockenfield, Al Jourgensen…just to name a few. "This years auction catalog really took on a life of it's own when we started getting in so many rare but highly personal items from each of the artists and industry executives. It's not every day that you get a dozen guitars belonging to Scott Ian, but knowing that each of these guitars have a kick ass story, that is a fan or collector's dream. Of course giving fans and collectors direct access to rare pieces of rock history is always our goal when we build our auction events, and we have definitely achieved that with this auction," says van Gool.

Charlie Benante (Anthrax) Big 4 Drum Head

There is definitely a wide range of collectibles featured in the auction and whether you are a fan or collector, you can bet that your inner rock star will come out! "We have everything from guitars, amps, cabinets, drum kits and heads, Gold and Platinum records awards, artist stage worn apparel to master recordings, rare concert posters, historical ephemera, photos and negatives with "money shots", picks & sticks and the list goes on and on. We couldn't be more pleased with how the catalog came together and the final result," says van Gool.

Equally impressive are the private collections of various music industry executives, which feature a jaw dropping collection of RIAA record awards, rare and sealed vinyl, promotional items, signed memorabilia, ephemera, promo jackets and concert shirts, interview cassettes and so much more. "The fact that these executives worked for various records labels, means the memorabilia covers a wide range of artists such as Judas Priest, KISS, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Ozzy, Pearl Jam, Pantera, Twisted Sister, Dokken, Gary Moore, Korn, Stryper, Incubus, Motley Crue, Metal Church, Grim Reaper and the list just goes on, it's very impressive," says van Gool.

Motley Crue RIAA 3x Platinum - Dr. Feelgood

The event, aptly titled the “Rock Gods and Metal Monsters Auction”, is a not-to-miss opportunity for fans and collectors around the world to own an authentic piece of one of the most significant genres of music history. 

The online auction, starts April 21, 2012 and will run through April 29, 2012. A special VIP All Access preview of the entire auction catalog will be available beginning Saturday, April 14^th.

 For more information and to get your VIP All Access pass for the event visit:  http://www.backstageauctions.com/catalog/auction.php

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Backstage Auctions is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia. By exclusively representing legendary musicians and entertainment professionals directly, every auction event is unique, reflecting the artist's legacy and chronicles their legendary career. Backstage Auctions has represented dozens of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry. The very first online auction event featured the private collection of legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zeppelin, Kiss) and since then, Backstage has represented Ted Nugent, Howard Kaylan (The Turtles), Ross Valory (Journey) and Michael Shrieve (Santana) Johny Barbata (Jefferson Starship), Kip Winger (Winger), John 5 (Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio, BOC), Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatraz) as well as managers of legendary bands such as The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, KISS, Journey, Joe Walsh, Pantera, White Zombie, Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band and Motley Crue. Backstage Auctions works closely with each of their clients and incorporates their personal stories and memories throughout the online auction event. The end result is a unique, historical and unforgettable journey spanning decades of music history and turning fans into collectors one auction at a time.

Rare Vinyl, Artist Signed Items and Gear Highlight the Rock Gods 'n Metal Monsters Auction

By Patrick Prince

Powerline Magazine

Walk a mile in Scott Ian's stage shoes from the 80s.

In April, Backstage Auctions will hold their annual metal auction, “Rock Gods and Metal Monsters,” and it has all the promise of being their best yet. Autographed items from bands ranging from Motorhead to The Babys will be up for auction. There are also rare Japanese vinyl bulk lots with albums from such artists as early Quiet Riot (with Randy Rhoads) and well-loved guitarist Gary Moore. And the biggest consignee for this year's metal auction is Scott Ian, guitarist and founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax. As owner Jacques van Gool explains it, the Scott Ian collection going up for auction is one for the ages.

Anthrax "Anthagram" Cabinet

"It's massive," says van Gool. "I've got like ten amp heads and two cabinets with the famous 'Anthagram' stenciled on them. I've got a dozen guitars. I've got a few dozen pedals. A few dozen straps. And all of the big stuff is autographed. Then I have a lot of smaller stuff, like fifty of his tour itineraries, handbills (including a handbill for Anthax' very first concert on August 19, 1982), laminates and guitar picks, and obscure vinyl. I probably have close to one hundred shirts. Everything is his personal stuff. All his shirts he wore personally, onstage and offstage. And one of my favorite things: in the '80s Scott wore nothing but those hi top basketball shoes and I've got three pairs of his old shoes. Which I think are totally awesome. And I've got some of his famous shorts (including shorts from a popular '80s clothing line called Jams). His casual attire is now jeans but the moment he goes on stage it's back to shorts again. It's hard to imagine Scott doing those high jumps in jeans."

"Plus, you gotta show off your tattoos, and his best tattoos are actually on his legs," adds van Gool with a laugh.

Van Halen Fully Signed Album

For those naive to the art of headbanging, Jacques van Gool believes collecting heavy metal memorabilia can be good for you. It is a great investment. "From a collector's point of view, and from a memorabilia point of view, heavy metal is equal to, let's say, the '60s psychedelic rock or the '70s classic rock. It's just the next generation. And the reason I say that is everybody romanticizes the '60s and the '70s as the two best decades in the history of music. And we all know our '60s icons, whether it's the Beatles, the Stones, The Who, you name them. Into the '70s you get yet another generation of highly collectible icons, like Queen and Kiss and a whole slew of bands in-between, there's definitely a second generation of legitimate icons. But I think that the '80s were probably the last decade to really create bands that ended up having that same die-hard following, that same large fan base that carries the same fanaticism almost as they did back n the '60s and the '70s.

Motely Crue Concert Promo

"And I think the reason for that is somewhat simple or predictable," continues van Gool. "After the '80s, the music industry changed a lot with the introduction of CDs and then eventually the digital format. And then the near disappearance of the record industry. Music has become really anonymous and invisible and it's almost become a disposable product. So if you go back and say 'Who or what in the '80s stood out the most?' It's typically metal — in terms of what survived and stood the test of time. And whether you go with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal or the birth of thrash metal and even the third wave of metal. Albeit, the third wave was far more commercial — the Bon Jovis and Motley Crues and the whole explosion with Winger and Poison and Cinderella and Slaughter and all those bands. Unlike almost any other genre of music, you had to be dedicated to like metal in the first place. It was like joining an underground club. You knew if you were going to like metal your parents wouldn't like you, your neighbors wouldn't like you, that you were most likely an outcast in your classroom and sometimes you may have had to run for your life. Metal was by no means an easy or popular choice. But I think because of that it will never let you go. Once you connected with it, it stayed with you. And I think the proof is in the pudding, because you fast forward 30-40 years and all these bands are still around. They still record. They still tour. People still buy their stuff. People still can't get enough of it. Even the most obscure bands."

August Redmoon Red Vinyl - Signed 

The vinyl records of metal’s more obscure bands are now rare gems. Backstage Auctions' metal auction is filled with bulk lots of albums from these more obscure acts, like August Redmoon, Cirith Ungol, Coney Hatch and Vicious Rumors ... and the list goes on. Take the band August Redmoon for instance. The album is now worth between $50-75. Backstage Auctions, however, has a signed copy that can go for up to $100, or more.

"If you just look at the value of heavy metal vinyl," van Gool says, "it far exceeds any other genre. And it's very hard to find. Go to a used record store and I guarantee you will find fifty Dan Fogelberg albums and fifty Hall and Oates albums and fifty Journey albums, and you'll probably find a hundred Barbra Streisand albums, but you're not going to find an Iron Maiden album. Because everybody wants it."

"So, why is heavy metal so collectible? Or, why would it be good for a person to collect heavy metal?" van Gool concludes. "Well, the simple answer is value. And that has been proven. The value is there. But I think more importantly, metal has proven to be one of the few and final genres that has legitimate collectibility. And again the whole foundation of that legitimacy lies in the fact that it is a genre that requires dedication. And with dedication comes loyalty and with loyalty comes fanaticism and you tie all of that together and it kind of explains itself."

Backstage Auction's Rock Gods and Metal Monsters auction runs from April 22 to 29. The VIP Preview runs from April 14  to April 21. 

For more information and registration for VIP All Access passes go to www.backstageauctions.com