1970s John Veleno electric guitar, made in USA; Body: gold p...

Estimate

£7,000 - £10,000

1970s John Veleno electric guitar, made in USA; Body: gold plated billet aluminium body, plating flaking off and corrosion/tarnishing in exposed areas; Neck: plated, plate wear and pitting; Fretboard: wear to gold plate and some dings/pitting; Electrics: working, later DiMarzio pickups and wiring; Hardware: replacement Hex body screws, replacement bridge, replacement control knobs, replacement pickup surrounds, missing two screws to neck pickup surround; Weight: 3.85kg; Overall condition: fair


*Sold with a selection of worn and damaged parts to include two 70s DiMarzio humbucker pickups, original bridge, potentiometers, knobs, switches and various screws.

This guitar was discovered  by the vendor in a UK antiques market, dismantled and in extremely tired condition with much of the exposed aluminium suffering corrosion. The vendor rebuilt the guitar using some later fittings, taking advice from son of John, Chris Veleno, with regards to the electrical wiring.

It is thought by some that this guitar may have previously belonged to Pete Haycock of The Climax Blues Band, however there is little evidence to support this.

John Veleno was a builder of guitars made entirely from aluminium which were unique at the time. He used his skills from his day job at St Petersburg, Florida, building aluminium electrical housings for space shuttles that were routinely launched from nearby Cape Canaveral. The unique build and look of John's guitars quickly made waves around the world, attracting many celebrity clients including Marc Bolan, Eric Clapton, Peter Haycock, Greg Allman, Ace Frehley, Todd Rundgren and Jeff Lynne to name a few. John completed nearly two hundred guitars before suffering from a stroke that sadly left him unable to continue his craft. Subsequently, his original instruments are a global rarity and command high premiums in the collectors market