Incredibly stupid, but iconic nonetheless
Veteran US power-pop-rock quartet Cheap Trick's stage presence is probably almost as — if not equally — renowned as their music, and a large part of that has to do with frontman Rick Nielsen and his freakish, fantastic collection of guitars.
Now, fans have the chance to own one of Nielsen's beloved six-strings through online selling/trading platform Reverb.com, on which Nielsen has set up a store to peddle his well-loved and — it must be said — pretty damn beautiful instruments, as well as some bits and pieces of gear and accessories. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a listing for any of his iconic five-neck monstrosities, but that's not discouraging those among the faithful with cash to spare: at the time of writing, most of his goods have sold (including one of his iconic checkered beasts), with the only remaining items being a 1959 Gibson ES330T (mint collector grade, current bid $US6800), a Gibson P90 Pickup Set from a 1955 Les Paul custom, and his Loverridge Tremorator replete with pattern finish of a woman's face.
Trust us, though, there used to be a lot more on offer, as depicted in this video put together by Nielsen and Reverb.com to publicise the inception of his store. It's enough to send any gear-minded music fan into salivating seizures just to look — and, if you're really quick and have the dosh to spare, maybe you'll get to touch one of them, too.
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For the rest of us, there's always "living vicariously through the internet", so, with that in mind, have a look at Nielsen's original collection below, or trawl through the now-off-market range at his store.
Cheap Trick are in the country in the very near future to play a run of shows with the A Day On The Green touring event, as well as some standalone shows with fellow 20th-century icon Billy Idol. Full details can be found in theGuide or The Music App.