Julien’s Auctions
An instrument used to keep the bottom-end of sound in a band intact, brought in the second-highest bid ever for a bass guitar at a recent Julien’s Auctions event in Dallas. This three-day auction, which officially kicked off on December 7, consists of several items once owned, worn, and played by late ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill. Included in the stash of first day items was none other than Hill’s signature 1953 Fender Precision bass guitar. The final bid on this instrument, came in at a whopping $393,700. This sale puts Hill’s bass in a league that includes a former Beatle and Rolling Stone.
In 2021, the highest sale for a Julien’s Auctions bass went to Paul McCartney’s Yamaha BB-1200 bass, which fetched an astounding $496,100 sale. In 2020, former Rolling Stone bassist Bill Wyman’s Fender Mustang also brought in a nice chunk of change at $384,000 even. Hill’s wife, “Chuck,” who was in attendance for the first day of bidding said, “Dusty would be so pleased to know his bass is between a Beatle and a Rolling Stone."
Julien’s Auctions
This instrument is said to have been heavily used by Hill and served as his go-to stage guitar for numerous ZZ Top live performances and in the studio until Dusty retired the bass in 2012. Other items up for bid in the amply named “The Collection of Dusty Hill of ZZ Top,” include Hill’s custom made western-style wardrobe worn on stage plus his favorite cowboy hats, boots and buckles, memorabilia, and more.
The opening night of this auction featured more than 1,100 bids on 49 lots from bidders hailing from all over the globe, including Australia, Germany, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and more, according to a release.
Another item that sold well over its estimated value at this auction was Hill’s iconic fur bass. For those of you who grew up in the MTV era of the 80s, this was the bass Hill played on ZZ Tops’ “Legs” music video. Yeah, that’s right, the one that spins. This iconic 1983 Dean Explorer style bass, in sheepskin finish with a ZZ Top logo painted on the fretboard, sold for $317,500.
Hill is one of the founding members of ZZ Top, a Houston-based band that started out in 1969. Besides Hill, ZZ Top consists of lead guitarist and vocalist Billy Gibbons, and drummer Frank Beard. Over the years, this trio of boogie bluesmen would amass a long list of hits that include, “La Grange,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” and many more. Hill passed away in July of 2021 at age 72 at his home in Houston.
Other items sold on the first day of this auction include:
- Hill’s 2000s Bolin Precision style bass guitar used during ZZ Top's 2007 live performance in Grand Prairie Texas that was released on their 2008 Live From Texas DVD and on tour in 2016 sold for $22,750.
- Hill’s “I Gotsa Get Paid” Music Video 2000s Bolin Telecaster style guitar painted with a concrete style finish by Elwood Francis featuring a Texas Longhorn badge sold for $22,750.
- MTV Moonman award statuette for Best Group Video "Legs" presented to Dusty Hill and ZZ Top at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards ceremony held in 1984 where ZZ Top was the first group to ever win Best Group Video whose fellow nominees included The Police "Every Breath You Take," Van Halen "Jump," and Huey Lewis and the News "The Heart of Rock & Roll" sold for $25,400.
- Dusty Hill’s commissioned oil derrick gold nugget ring accented with four circular-cut diamonds sold for $9,100.
- Hill’s custom sky-blue wool suit jacket with yellow and red embroidered flowers accented with stones by Nudie's Rodeo Tailors worn on the cover of ZZ Top's 1975 album Fandango! sold for $11,430.
- Hill’s black leather motorcycle jacket with custom painted skeleton motif, eagle head pins on lapel, and silver spike embellishments with "Streek Landslide" written on the back sold for $13,000.
