“Tuning it was really hard… especially because I was stoned a lot of the time”: Joe Walsh walks you through the guitars he’s selling at auction – including one with a Morse code fretboard

(Image credit: Getty Images / Julien’s Auctions)

Joe Walsh has become the latest big-name guitarist to shift a score of stage-played gear at auction – and there are some rather notable lots in the collection.

The Eagles guitarist is looking to give some of his pre-loved, and rather quirky, a second life with Julien’s Auctions.

There’s also a Paoletti Wine Series Telecaster (est. $4,000-$6,000), which was custom-made for Walsh. The 25.5″ scale guitar is made from century-old reclaimed chestnut – they were formerly wine barrels – with a thin satin finish. It was a gift from the Paoletti wine vineyard in Italy, and, according to Walsh, “it’s got 100 years of mojo in it”.

Life’s Been Good: Joe Walsh | Highlights – YouTube

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There are around 420 guitars and other instruments in the collection – choose from a violin, a Blue Moon Cittern, and several lap steels if you’d prefer – among some other interesting picks.

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(Image credit: Joe Walsha Julien’s Auctions 2025)All proceeds will go to Walsh’s charity, Vets Aid, which offers financial support to veterans after they’ve served their country. It’s a cause close to Walsh’s heart, given that his father was a flight instructor for the first US operational jet-powered aircraft, the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star.

(Image credit: Joe Walsha Julien’s Auctions 2025)Vets Aid has raised over $4M so far, and this auction is set to give that figure a healthy boost.

Head to Julien’s Auctions to learn more.

Elsewhere, Walsh’s exacting ear for tone left his guitar foil confused, and then hugely impressed. It served as a valuable lesson.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He’s also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.