![](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/8\/8f\/Ronnie_Montrose_4_-_Montrose_-_1974.jpg\/220px-Ronnie_Montrose_4_-_Montrose_-_1974.jpg\")
Legendary rock icon Ronnie Montrose has been called the \u201cFather of American Hard Rock,\u201d an
innovator and an incendiary guitar genius. For the first time fans of Ronnie Montrose will have
the opportunity to bid on a vast array of instruments, personal items and
memorabilia from the late genius\u2019 musical life which will benefit the Sweet
Relief Musicians Fund. <\/p>\n
Ronnie Montrose created the iconic guitar riff for the classic song \u201cWild
Nights\u201d during his time with Van Morrison. In the Edgar Winter group he left
even a bigger mark with his catch heavy-handed riffs on songs like \u201cFree Ride\u201d
and \u201cFrankenstein.\u201d\u00a0 It was his self-titled release MONTROSE that would become
his iconic moment and a cornerstone of American hard rock. This release in 1973
gave fans such classics as \u201cRock Candy,\u201d \u201cSpace Station #5\u201d and \u201cRock the
Nation.\u201d\u00a0 It laid the ground work and became the template for bands like Van
Halen and countless others.\u00a0 His musical journey led him to the creation of
GAMMA where he crafted songs like \u201cVoyager,\u201d \u201cThunder and Lightning\u201d and \u201cReady
for Action.\u201d\u00a0 Known for always reinventing himself through his own
self-inflicted creative challenges he ventured through a brief instrumental
period and brought the world \u201cOpen Fire\u201d and \u201cTown without Pity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRonnie was a force of nature and in his time here on this earth, he followed
his own true north, making the music that came from his heart and inspired
millions.\u00a0 He was never afraid to step off the beaten path, and take the
direction that his instinct told him to follow,\u201d said his wife Leighsa
Montrose.\u00a0 \u201cHe fully understood his gifts, and constantly pushed himself to
evolve, improve, and make better music. He did this for himself, and he did this
for you because he adored and appreciated his fans. I can only hope that you
will choose to celebrate Ronnie\u2019s life, and what his music meant to you, rather
than mourn his passing.\u00a0 Ronnie would have wanted it that way.\u00a0 He loved being
a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a creator of magic.\u00a0 Please keep his
energy, his joy, and his love in your hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Highlights of the Montrose Collection at Julien\u2019s Auctions\u2019 upcoming Icons &
Idols: Rock n\u2019 Roll event include an extraordinary array of Ronnie Montrose\u2019s
personal guitars, played on stage and part of his unprecedented place in rock
history. It also includes personal items, stage and studio equipment and
memorabilia.<\/p>\n
Luthier CJ Hutchins describes Ronnie Montrose\u2019s 1997 Baker B2 \u201cThe Beast\u201d guitar
which is offered in the auction as \u201ca very special guitar.\u201d Hutchins tells the
story of how for years Montrose\u2019s sound was produced by a Gibson Les Paul that
sadly was stolen off stage. Since Ronnie was more comfortable with a 25.5 scale
length and a 17\/8\u201d nut width, he pretty much quit playing Gibson Les Pauls and
Gene Baker made him \u201cThe Beast\u201d to bring back the power into Ronnie\u2019s arsenal.
He added that \u201cthis was the go to guitar for a Les Paul that\u2019s more Les Paul
than a Les Paul.\u201d (Estimate: $5,500-$6.500)<\/p>\n
\u201cFlat Top Red – If ever there was a man\u2019s alter ego, Flat Top Red was it! If I
had a dollar for everytime I heard the opening riff from \u201cRock Candy\u201d played on
a stage somewhere in the world, well, you get the idea,\u201d said Ronnie\u2019s luthier
CJ Hutchins. He added \u201cThe Beast was much sweeter but Flat Top Red has more
throat. He used it everywhere for nearly everything. He loved it so much; in
fact, he had Gene make a clone of it, only in blue which he named \u201cBlue Dog.\u201d
This very special guitar offered at auction is estimated at $5,000-$5,500.<\/p>\n
(Montrose \u201cFlat Top\u201d Red guitar)<\/p>\n
Hutchins also explains the Bogner Shiva and how he would describe Ronnie
changing guitar rigs like he changed his socks. Montrose was always looking for
the elusive ratio between headroom and distortion and how the FX loop was
engineered was also vital to him. He personally modified that part of the amp to
make it more clean and less reactive to his tone, in other words more
transparent. The Shiva was all he used at home, in the studio and on stage.
\u201cGamma 4\u201d was recorded with the Shiva.\u00a0 The custom modified amp will also be
offered at auction with an estimate of $3,000-$4,000.<\/p>\n
Other highlights include a Ronnie Montrose owned, played and personally modified It was Ronnie Montrose who said \u201cMy wish is that you find all the pleasure and A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to Sweet Relief, an organization <http:\/\/www.sweetrelief.org\/news\/ronnie-montrose<\/a>><\/p>\n .<\/p>\n “Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is thrilled to have been chosen by Leighsa Montrose (1963 Fender Stratocaster)<\/p>\n *\u201c*Ronnie truly had great concern for the personal welfare of those *Icons & Idols: Rock n\u2019 Roll Public Exhibition*<\/p>\n Fans, collectors and media can view the Montrose Collection<\/p>\n Dec 2, 2013- Dec 5, 2013 from 10am \u2013 5pm daily<\/p>\n Julien\u2019s Auctions Beverly Hills Gallery<\/p>\n 9665 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210<\/p>\n Parking underground<\/p>\n *Icons & Idols: Rock n\u2019 Roll Auction*<\/p>\n Friday, December 6th, 2013<\/p>\n Session I: 10am PST<\/p>\n Session II: 2pm PST (Ronnie Montrose collection offered at this session)<\/p>\n *Saturday, December 7th, 2013*<\/p>\n Session I: 10am PST<\/p>\n Session II: 2pm PST<\/p>\n *Exhibition and Auction Location*<\/p>\n Julien\u2019s Auctions<\/p>\n 9665 Wilshire Blvd.<\/p>\n Suite 150<\/p>\n Beverly Hills, CA\u00a0 90210<\/p>\n *Registering to Bid*<\/p>\n Registration is required to bid in this live auction and can be done in person *Placing Bids*<\/p>\n There are four ways to bid in this sale:<\/p>\n 1. Bid through Julien’s Auctions Online Live in Real Time at 2. Place bids in the room by attending the auction.<\/p>\n 3. Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative, who sits in 4. Enter Absentee bids. Absentee bid forms are included in the back of each *ABOUT JULIEN\u2019S\u00a0 AUCTIONS:*<\/p>\n With expertise specializing in entertainment memorabilia, Julien\u2019s Auctions has \u00a0<\/p>\n Sources: http:\/\/www.juliensauctions.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Legendary rock icon Ronnie Montrose has been called the \u201cFather of American Hard Rock,\u201d an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-music-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3806\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skylight.gr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
1963 Fender Stratocaster (Estimate: $15,000-$17,000), a Ronnie Montrose 2003
Taylor 712 CE guitar which he used as his main acoustic performance guitar
(Estimate: $3,000-$3,500), original Montrose handwritten lyrics (Estimate:
$1,000-$1,200), a Ronnie Montrose owned and played 1994 Fender Stratocaster
\u201cSkinny\u201d model guitar (Estimate: $6,000-$7,000), a 1943 Gibson J4 \u201cThe Old
Boy\u201d guitar (Estimate: $6,000-$7,000), a Ronnie Montrose Custom MOOG System
(Estimate: $800-$1,000), a Ronnie Montrose 1980\u2019s SHO-BUD pedal steel (Estimate:
$1,200-$1,400), a 2002 Baker BJ \u201cMontrose\u201d model guitar (Estimate:
$4,000-$4,500) and much more.\u00a0 The full selection of Ronnie Montrose items can
be viewed at www. juliensauctions.com – http:\/\/juliensauctions.com. <\/a>Once at the site you can
click \u201cflip catalog\u201d and view all of the items.<\/p>\n
joy listening to the music that I found in creating it.\u201d<\/p>\n
that provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are
struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related
problems.\u00a0 For more information go to
www.sweetrelief.org\/news\/ronnie-montrose –<\/p>\n
as a beneficiary for the sale of Ronnie Montrose’s gear. We look forward to
being able to honor Ronnie’s legacy by continuing to provide help to musicians
in need who are suffering from Cancer, MS, Diabetes, Depression and other
debilitating ailments.\u00a0 It is generosity like this that allows us to do our work
in a real and meaningful way,\u201d Bill Bennett, President of Sweet Relief Musicians
Fund.<\/p>\n
that have chosen music as their way of life.\u00a0 Knowing the unexpected needs are
graciously met by those able to reach out making a difference in an artists\u2019
life is what resonated deep within him,\u201d added Leighsa Montrose, Ronnie\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
at the exhibition and auction, or online before the sale at the
JuliensAuctions.com – http:\/\/JuliensAuctions.com <\/a>Registration page to bid by phone, proxy or in
person, or online at JuliensLive.com – http:\/\/JuliensLive.com <\/a>to bid live online, or by
calling (310) 836-1818.<\/p>\n
JuliensLive.com – http:\/\/JuliensLive.com.<\/p>\n
the room and conveys the bid to the auctioneer.<\/p>\n
catalogue, and are also available by calling Julien’s Auctions or online at
www.juliensauctions.com – http:\/\/www.juliensauctions.com.<\/p>\n
quickly established itself as the premier auction house in high profile
celebrity and entertainment auctions. Julien\u2019s Auctions presents exciting,
professionally managed and extremely successful auctions with full color high
quality auction catalogues unlike any other auction company. Previous auctions
include the collections of Cher, U2, Barbara Streisand, the estate of Marilyn
Monroe and many more.<\/p>\n
www.juliensauctions.com<\/p>\n