See, hear the rare guitars of a Sacramento music icon. They’re going to auction

The large, coveted guitar collection of late Sacramento music icon Arthur “Skip” Maggiora will be sold in a live charity auction beginning Dec. 17.

Through Skip’s Music, Maggiora equipped top-tier professionals, aspiring musicians and weekend garage band heroes with instruments for 50 years. He died Feb. 23, 2023, at age 75, after a long battle with kidney disease.

Since opening his shop, Maggiora collected countless legendary and rare guitars. Some 150 of these axes will go to the highest bidder during The Skip Maggiora Legacy Guitar Collection Charity Auction.

Proceeds from the auction, facilitated by Heritage Auctions, will benefit music and youth charities that align with Maggiora’s vision of promoting music education.

“We are honored to present Skip’s collection, especially given its beneficiaries — future generations of music-makers,” said Aaron Piscopo, Heritage Auction’s director of vintage guitars and musical Instruments. “Skip was a legend in Northern California and across the country, with Skip’s Music standing as a landmark in Sacramento. Cataloging and showcasing these guitars has been a true pleasure. This treasure trove of vintage guitars is truly a dream come true for collectors and enthusiasts.”

Guitar collection highlights

Highlights of the collection include:

▪ A 1954 Fender Stratocaster Sunburst solid body electric guitar from the first year of the instrument’s production.

“As one of the earliest Stratocasters ever made, this guitar holds immense historical significance for collectors and musicians alike,” according to the auction catalog.

▪ A rare 1955 Fender Stratocaster metallic green solid body electric guitar, one of only a few examples documented from a period when custom colors were hard to come by.

▪ A white and black striped Eddie Van Halen signed and smashed electric guitar.

▪ A Kramer Monsters of Rock Baretta guitar, dating from the late 1980s, signed by all four members of the legendary Van Halen band: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar.

▪ Eight instruments that once belonged to Billie “Tiny” Moore, the Port Arthur, Texas, native who played electric mandolin and fiddle with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s.

▪ A Gene Simmons signed guitar, which comes in a sleek black finish with a metal neck and features a unique axe-shaped body that was iconic for the legendary bassist and co-founder of the rock band KISS.

▪ A Mosrite Ventures black solid body electric guitar believed to be either a 1963 prototype or one of the first 80 produced in 1964.

Maggiora’s son, Creed, said he hopes the guitars will go to players, which is what his dad would have wanted.

‘They have souls’

“A lot of them need to be played,” Creed said. “They have souls.”

A lifelong Sacramento resident, Skip Maggiora grew up around music. He worked in a local music store and performed as part of a popular local rock act while working his way through college opening for Jimi Hendrix and psychedelic San Francisco rockers Big Brother and the Holding Company. Maggiora’s work on the bandstand and behind the scenes in concert production quickly cemented his musical reputation.

Maggiora opened his first store on Florin Road in Sacramento in 1973, moving Skip’s Music to its signature Auburn Boulevard location in 1980. Today, the shop’s single location is on Madison Avenue.

His dedication to music education and zeal for spreading the joy of creating music is evident in Skip’s Music’s two trademark programs: Stairway to Stardom, the summer-long music camp geared to young amateur musicians considering careers in music; and its Weekend Warriors program for adults ready to return to the music.

Guitar enthusiasts are allowed to bid through the start of the auction on Dec. 17 at noon Pacific time. As of Wednesday afternoon, $451,000 in bids had been placed for items in the auction, according to a Heritage Auctions representative.

The number is expected to grow as the bidding continues until and throughout the live auction.

“It gets hot and heavy, if you will, during the live auction,” the representative said.