Joe Walsh Wants to Sell You His ‘Barnstorm’ Guitar

Joe Walsh has played some of the most recognizable riffs in rock and roll. Now, you could be the new owner of the guitar he used on 1972’s Barnstorm album. It’s one which helped to play a pivotal part creatively at the beginning of his solo career.

The Eagles guitarist recently announced plans to auction off over 800 items from his colorful life and career Dec. 16-17 live at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood. The “Life’s Been Good” Joe Walsh collection is being handled by Julien’s Auctions and features a wide variety of items, including guitars, cars, amps, ham radios, stage clothes, and historic rock and roll ephemera. You can see a gallery of selected pieces from the collection below.

“One thing you find about human nature is we collect things and I have acquired too much stuff. I wanted people to have a chance to get a guitar or get something of mine that they may think is valuable. So, it’s my way of giving back. And this will help veterans as a portion of the proceeds from the auction will go to VetsAid,” he shared in a press release. “And now I will have more room in my warehouse so I can go get more stuff!”

One Fan Will Get to Own a Truly Historic Guitar From Joe’s Collection

While Walsh has owned many guitars throughout his career, his 1966 Framus Strato Gold Deluxe Sunburst 12-String electric guitar is one that holds a special place in his heart, personally. He used it heavily on 1972’s Barnstorm album, the first record he made following his departure from the James Gang, an album which includes fan favorites like “Mother Says” and “Turn to Stone,” which remains a classic rock radio staple to this day.

Listen to Joe Walsh and Barnstorm’s ‘Turn to Stone’

But the Barnstorm album also found the guitarist exploring a more acoustically-based direction, as he details in an official video talking about the auction. “I wrote a bunch of songs on 12-string and I had to find a guitar that I could play live,” he explains. “So I found this old Framus. I worked on it for a long time. Tuning it was really hard, especially because I was stoned a lot. This is [what was used on] the bulk of the Barnstorm album. I hate to say goodbye to it, but it’s time. Any Barnstorm fans, this is it. I know it looks ratty, but boy, when you plug it in, it’s sweet.”

READ MORE: How Joe Walsh Barnstormed Through ‘The Smoker You Get…’

Watch Joe Walsh Discuss and Play the Framus Guitar

What Else is Joe Putting on Auction?

There’s some really, really cool stuff being offered up, as you’ll see in the gallery below. You can get your hands on the sheepskin jacket that he wore on the back cover of James Gang’s Thirds album. His Epiphone guitar from the album cover of 2012’s Analog Man is another highlight.

There’s plenty of Eagles memorabilia too. From a “So What” jersey he wore on stage with the group in 1976 to his unique “brick wall” suit that he wore to the band’s 1998 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where guitarist Don Felder quipped that the suit was a “charming outfit.”

There’s a stunning road case from the early ’70s, complete with a Barnstorm ’72 tour sticker and of course, tons of interesting guitars. Among the musical conversation starters, you’ll find the Bohemian Guitars Surf Wax Can guitar, a 1952 Bronson Singing Electric Lap Steel that he played on Neil Young’s 2007 album Chrome Dreams II and a D’Angelico New Yorker NYL-2 hollow body electric guitar he used while guesting with Paul McCartney for a performance that was preserved on Macca’s Live Kisses in 2012.

You could even own a pair of his moon boots.

Part of the Proceeds Benefit a Really Good Cause

In short, with more than 800 items available, a visit to the full auction page for the “Life’s Been Good: Joe Walsh collection will send you down a big rabbit hole. While there are naturally some big ticket items, there’s also plenty of affordable options that will allow fans and musicians to grab a unique piece of rock and roll history that they won’t find at the merch table. The best part is that, as mentioned, a portion of the proceeds from each sale will go to VetsAid, the non-profit organization that the guitarist established in 2017 to raise and disperse sorely needed funds to veterans groups across the country.

It’s a cause that’s very meaningful to Walsh personally. “War is hell for everyone involved. I lost my father when I was a baby, before I could even make a memory of him. I stopped counting the number of friends I lost in the Vietnam War or that came home forever scarred mentally or physically or both. We’ve only just begun to appreciate the long-term impacts on our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan,” he wrote on his website. “I had to do something and seeing as though rock and roll seems to be what I do best, it’s also the least I could do for those who have served and continue to serve our country.

Join Joe Walsh For the 2025 VetsAid Concert

The Eagles legend will be back on stage Saturday evening (Nov. 15) for his 9th annual VetsAid concert. This year’s installment features a wide assortment of his friends, including Vince Gill, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, Nathaniel Rateliff and Ryan Bingham. If you can’t be in Wichita (the gui to see the show personally, the good news is that you can stream the show live at home thanks to Veeps. The concert broadcast is scheduled to begin at 7pm EST. You can find more information at the official website.