500 Guitars, Basement Secrets, and a Kitchen Jam: Inside Rick Nielsen’s Cheap Trick Vault with Julien’s Auctions!
The guitar collection owned by Cheap Trick icon Rick Nielsen is widely considered one of the most breathtaking instrument hauls in the world.
Inside the Rockford, Illinois home of the rock legend lies an extraordinary treasure trove: an ultra-rare 1958 Korina Flying V, three original 1958 Gibson Explorers (out of only 19 ever made!), custom Hamer guitars, boutique builds, and vintage oddities.
For the very first time in history, a portion of this 500-strong guitar collection is being released for public sale via Julien’s Auctions. Appraiser and guitar tech Mike Adams spent five frantic days in the rock star's home to evaluate the collection and curate the final auction catalog.
A surprise basement encounter with a rock icon
Walking up to Rick Nielsen's house, the appraiser was surprised by how welcoming and lived-in the space felt compared to typical celebrity mansions.
Accompanied by Rick Nielsen's guitar tech, Mike Graham, the appraiser headed straight down to the basement where the 500 guitars were stored. An hour into inspecting the cases, a voice called down from the stairs: “Who’s in my basement? What are you doing here? You robbing me?”.
It was Rick Nielsen himself, sporting his trademark flipped-brim checkerboard cap. After cracking a joke, the rock hero spent the next five days hanging out in the basement, checking on the progress, and sharing incredible touring stories with the appraiser.
Selecting the auction crown jewels
Out of the 500 guitars in the vault, Julien’s Auctions cataloged over 470 items and selected 69 lots for the official public sale.
Highlights from the auction selection include:
-
Hamer #0004: The famous ambered-over Explorer-shaped Hamer featuring a narrow 1.56” nut width, instantly recognizable to fans worldwide.
-
-
Yellow Hamer Double-Cut: The iconic yellow stage guitar featuring “You know you like it” inlaid on the fretboard and Rick Nielsen's face on the back. Riddled with dings and pick wear from his famous multi-guitar stage trick.
-
Five-Neck Hamer: The ultimate crown jewel of the auction. This massive guitar features a mando-cello neck, a 12-string neck, and standard necks. Servicing this monster on the workbench required multiple neck rests.
-
2002 "Lana" Les Paul R8: A rare Gibson Les Paul featuring finish dings above the bridge from the guitarist's stage bracelets, verified through hours of archival concert footage.
-
First Act Betty Mega Knob: A wild bowtie-shaped custom guitar loaded with six lipstick pickups and six pairs of control knobs.
-
1983 Kurt Hendrick Catalyst (Lot 86): An underrated pink gem built by Kurt Hendrick, known for his work with Billy Gibbons.
-
2020 Biasibetti Flippercaster (Lot 257): A quirky guitar crafted from actual pinball machine playfield surfaces, complete with working lights and a pinball plunger strap button.
A kitchen table jam session and guitar advice from Rick Nielsen
On the final day of the appraisal, Rick Nielsen and the tech sat together at the kitchen table. Spotting a guitar case, the rock star joked: “Hey, what do you have in that case? Is that one of mine? Are you trying to steal from me?”.
The tech pulled out his personal custom Jazzmaster built in 2023 from Guitar Mill parts. Rick Nielsen played the instrument for a bit and then challenged the tech to play a Cheap Trick song.
The tech nailed the iconic solo to «I Want You to Want Me» note-for-note. Rick Nielsen was thrilled by the performance but offered one crucial piece of rock wisdom: “My God, you nailed it! But you’re playing too clean. You gotta dirty it up—rock ’n’ roll is a little sloppy!”.
Department supervisor Lou Robinson secretly filmed the entire kitchen jam, capturing a priceless memory of Rick Nielsen complimenting the tech and sharing his rock 'n' roll spirit.