Paul McCartney bass, Eddie Vedder smashed guitar break auction sale records

Over the weekend, music collectors placed their bids on items from some of the biggest names in rock music during GUITAR ICONS: A Musical Instrument Auction To Benefit Music Rising. According to Guitar World, two of those instruments — a bass donated by Paul McCartney and smashed guitar from Eddie Vedder — broke auction sales records.

Macca's Yamaha BB-1200 electric bass guitar was played on tour and in the studio with Wings and sold for $496,100, overtaking Bill Wyman’s 1969 Fender Mustang bass that sold for $384,000 last year. Vedder's Placid-Blue Fender Telecaster was smashed during a Pearl Jam show at Wrigley Field on August 20, 2018 during a cover of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley" and was signed by the frontman. It went for $266,200, which broke the record for the highest-selling smashed guitar at auction. All proceeds went to Music Rising — a nonprofit founded by U2's The Edge and producer Bob Ezrin.

“We want to thank everyone involved in this amazing auction including the artists who generously gave their personal instruments and the bidders from around the globe who helped us break world records," The Edge said about the event in a statement.

“The proceeds Music Rising earned will help bring live music back to life in a part of the country whose musical culture has been hugely influential in the world,” he continued. “We are indebted to all of the supporters of Music Rising who have given us a great opportunity to return to our roots and help those musicians in need.”