Paul McCartney’s bass and Eddie Vedder’s Telecaster break world records in Music Rising charity auction

Van Eaton Galleries’ huge Guitar Icons charity auction came to a close over the weekend, raising over $2 million in total for the Music Rising charity thanks to some record-smashing sales.

Highlights from the event, which was organized by U2’s the Edge and producer Bob Ezrin, include Paul McCartney’s tour- and studio-played Yamaha BB-1200 “Wings” bass guitar, which raked in $496,100.

Paul McCartney bass guitar

Paul McCartney’s tour and studio-played Wings Yamaha BB-1200 (Image credit: Van Eaton Galleries)

It was the first record-breaking bid of the night, and overtook Bill Wyman’s 1969 Fender Mustang bass – which sold in 2020 for $384,000 – as the most expensive bass ever to be sold at auction.

McCartney’s bass was joined in the record book by Eddie Vedder’s concert-smashed Lake Placid Blue Fender Telecaster, which sold for $266,200 – a figure that broke the record for the most expensive smashed six-string.

Fender Telecaster

Eddie Vedder’s concert-smashed Fender Telecaster (Image credit: Van Eaton Galleries)

A fair share of the Edge’s own instruments featured on Van Eaton Galleries’ bill, with his I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For Custom Strat selling for $496,100 and his Music Rising ONE guitar fetching $184,525.