Over 100 rare Grateful Dead artifacts and curios are currently up for sale as part of the Live Dead auction. Among some of the many items from original band members, crew, and collectors are a 1:4 scale model working recreation of the infamous Wall of Sound, an unopened pack of Jerry Garcia‘s cigarettes, and much more.
Live Dead Exclusive Auction Of Rare Items From Grateful Dead, hosted by ANALOGr, features a number of other non-smokable items from the Grateful Dead’s lead guitarist as well. Of particular note is Garcia’s final touring rig which he used at all Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band shows from December 2nd, 1992 through the final Dead concert on July 9th, 1995. The rig marked the culmination of three decades of fine-tuning Jerry’s live setup and features a pre-amp, pedals, a McIntosh amplifier used since the Wall of Sound era (originally by Bobby), and more. Other Garcia items include his AR-7 rifle, a collection of picks and slides, and several signed lithograph drawings.
Jerry Garcia’s 1990s Guitar Rig
The Live Dead auction features other items from band members including a collection of percussive artifacts from Rhythm Devils Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart. The framed display houses drumsticks and a drum head used by Kreutzmann during the Dead’s 1994 Boston Garden run alongside Hart’s mallets and a set of strings used on his iconic Beam instrument. While none of Bob Weir‘s instruments are up for sale at this auction, fans can bid on an array of tour laminates and backstage passes used by the rhythm guitarist, as well as a vast collection from Grateful Dead front-of-house sound manager Dan Healy.
Grateful Dead Drummer Collection
Behind Jerry’s touring rig, the lot fetching the second-highest bids is a working 1:4 scale model recreation of the band’s Wall of Sound PA system. Custom built by luthier Anthony Coscia, the 14-by-ten-foot model is an accurate recreation of the Dead’s monstrous sound system used in 1974 which revolutionized live concert sound (and nearly bankrupted the band). Coscia began creating working scale models of the Wall during COVID quarantines, with the project continually growing in size and scope. Next, he will build a half-sized model of the Wall with the ultimate goal of finding it a permanent home in a museum or live venue. Fans can also bid on working speaker cabinets from the original Wall of Sound.
“The Wall, you can’t think of it as a PA. The Wall is an instrument, an extension of the band,” Coscia said.
The Mini Wall Of Sound 1/4 Scale
Related: Anthony Coscia Recreates A Grateful Dead Legend With Mini Wall Of Sound Project [Interview]
Elsewhere in the Live Dead auction is an array of other collectibles like vintage Grateful Dead t-shirts, Courtenay Pollock tie dyes used onstage, original stencils and animation cells from The Grateful Dead Movie, photos and Stanley Mouse paintings of the band members, tour posters, and even “Boogie Till Your Barf” bags from a New Year’s Eve concert. There is also an array of items from Bob Weir’s years partnering with Rob Wasserman, including the late bassist’s bass guitar and several bass amps. And for the Grateful Dead fan that has everything, there is a bust of Pluto hand-sculpted by Owlsey “Bear” Stanley III in the 1990s.
Check out the full list of items up for sale at the Live Dead Exclusive Auction Of Rare Items From Grateful Dead here. The auction runs through December 7th.
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