Over two decades on from Jeff Buckley’s death at the age of just 30 in 1997, the loss of such an astonishing talent still feels, in artistic terms at least, like one of the great unresolved cliffhangers in the history of popular music.
The instruments are fairly astonishing, and you might have heard of one or two of their previous owners… Jeff Buckley’s 1983 Fender USA Telecaster Across the following pages, Matt talks us through some of the highlights of his guitar-trading career to date. Matt realised early on that celebrity-owned gear with provenance was a lucrative area in which to invest, as the fan-appeal of the artist connection will often amplify the value of an instrument way beyond that of an equivalent piece with no connection to a famous player.Ī remarkable 1960 flametop 6120 formerly owned by Brian Setzer, Tal Farlow’s prototype Gibson signature model and gear owned by Slash, Richie Sambora, Gary Moore, Billy Gibbons, AC/DC and many more will have to wait until another day.
He eventually traded up to a player-grade Burst, and it was the sale of this that allowed him to start competing in the big league and acquire such instruments as a former Bonamassa 1959 Les Paul, Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster, a Hendrix Stratocaster and much more.ĭuring the day that we spend hanging out with Matt at his place, along with Max and a trio of canine assistants that includes a pair of exuberant Dalmatians, it feels as though we barely scratch the surface. Matt sold the guitar to Norman Harris of Norman’s Rare Guitars fame in California and used the profit as a springboard to start dealing in vintage instruments. Unbeknown to him, he’d stumbled over a prototype that was worth a lot more than he paid for it. This 1960 Rickenbacker Capri came from Norman’s Rare Guitars and appeared in a George Harrison magazine shoot in the 1980s The journey began when Matt used some of the money he’d made waiting on tables to buy a vintage Jazzmaster that he’d seen advertised for sale locally. Although he admits to not being particularly academic, there’s no doubting his entrepreneurial savvy. You’d be forgiven for thinking that an inheritance or lottery win can be the only explanation for someone so young being in possession of a treasure trove of gear, but Matt simply traded his way up. Developing a business online first before investing in bricks and mortar has become a familiar story in recent years, but the most startling fact in all of this is that Matt is just 25 years of age. Lucas is the owner and curator – along with store manager Max Bruneau – of a collection that’s been amassed by buying and selling primarily in the digital domain, although the pair are currently on the lookout for a showroom in central Paris.
#HOW MUCH IS MY GUITAR WORTH FULL#
It sits in its case in the back of the minivan next to the photography gear and we get the feeling that transporting irreplaceable, near-priceless pieces of rock history has become an everyday occurrenceĪnd who are they, you ask? Ageing rockstars with a vault full of storied gear and shady anecdotes to match? Members of the French business elite who have chosen to invest their Euros in the ever-appreciating stock of golden-era Gibsons and Fenders?
There’s a small detour en route to pick up a 1963 Stratocaster previously owned by Jimi Hendrix.
#HOW MUCH IS MY GUITAR WORTH DRIVER#
The UK and France may only be separated by a single one-hour timezone, but spending the best part of a day in an airport causes a palpable sense of disorientation, as does waking up before dawn to find the city lights still flickering through the drizzle running down our hotel window.Īfter falling victim to the Parisian traffic again and arriving late back from breakfast, we make our apologies to our driver and head south-west to the small town in the Yvelines département that is home to one of Europe’s most remarkable collections of musical instruments and rockstar memorabilia. The previous day had almost been a write-off – fog-induced flight cancellations in London and then an extended spell in rush-hour traffic on the southbound autoroute from Charles de Gaulle didn’t exactly provide a picture-postcard welcome to one of Europe’s most alluring cities.
It begins in late November on a rainy morning in Paris.
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