“Tuning it was really hard… especially because I was stoned a lot of the time”: Joe Walsh walks you through the guitars he’s selling at auction – including one with a Morse code fretboard

Joe Walsh has become the latest big-name guitarist to shift a score of stage-played gear at auction – and there are some rather notable lots in the collection.

The Eagles guitarist is looking to give some of his pre-loved, and rather quirky, a second life with Julien’s Auctions.

There’s also a Paoletti Wine Series Telecaster (est. $4,000-$6,000), which was custom-made for Walsh. The 25.5″ scale guitar is made from century-old reclaimed chestnut – they were formerly wine barrels – with a thin satin finish. It was a gift from the Paoletti wine vineyard in Italy, and, according to Walsh, “it’s got 100 years of mojo in it”.

There are around 420 guitars and other instruments in the collection – choose from a violin, a Blue Moon Cittern, and several lap steels if you’d prefer – among some other interesting picks.

All proceeds will go to Walsh’s charity, Vets Aid, which offers financial support to veterans after they’ve served their country. It’s a cause close to Walsh’s heart, given that his father was a flight instructor for the first US operational jet-powered aircraft, the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star.

Vets Aid has raised over $4M so far, and this auction is set to give that figure a healthy boost.

Head to Julien’s Auctions to learn more.

Elsewhere, Walsh’s exacting ear for tone left his guitar foil confused, and then hugely impressed. It served as a valuable lesson.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He’s also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.