Cheap Trick Band Signed Guitar Switch Vibracell Fade Electric (3) Rick Nielsen, Daxx Nielsen, Tom Petersson – COA JSA

Presented is Switch Vibracell Fade electric guitar autographed by members of the band Cheap Trick. Superbly autographed in silver paint pen (“9”) on the body of the guitar are signers from the main core of the band including: Rick Nielsen, Daxx Nielsen and Tom Petersson. The guitar shows mild but typical wear from transport.

This guitar originated from a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino employee who worked with talented musicians that came to the venue to perform. In the process of all the back stage antics (the partying, the moving and jostling, just dealing with rock stars), many of the guitars have battle wounds including scuffs, scrapes (etc.) and may have been played.

The consigner also worked with the curator of the historic memorabilia laden casino who had the access to many celebrities and musicians (and their memorabilia of course). As a collector, it was truly the place to be as it allowed his treasure trove to be amplified. He is now ready to bring some of those treasures to market. Take notice, in the process of obtaining autographs of the musicians he had them sign the body of a guitar which is more rare than the placed pick guard ones that are often brought to market. As a musician himself, he also made sure that the guitars in his collection were oftentimes elite models like this one.

Other interesting notes:

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and Petersson. Their work bridged elements of ’60s guitar pop, hard rock, and punk rock, and would help set the template for subsequent power pop artists.

Switch was a brand of electric guitars and electric basses that featured a one-piece body-and-neck construction, made by injection moulding of a patented polyurethane resin-based synthetic material called Vibracell, very similar to Cort’s Luthite. The brand belonged to the short-lived Switch Music company in the mid-2000s. The primary designer of the various Switch models was Trev Wilkinson, later of Fret-King. The company first presented their guitars at the 2004 NAMM show. The instruments weighed roughly the same as comparable wooden instruments. The sustain was described as excellent.

Vibracell is a patented process of completely molding both electric and bass guitars including the neck and headstock, from the patented Switch Vibracell material creating an instrument with precise harmonic resonance and sound frequency. Vibracell allows the entire instrument to be created as a whole with complete control of neck, body weight and density by controlling the internal cells. With the ability to control the cells we can effectively tune the body and neck to exceed the characteristics and response of those instruments made from the best available woods in the world. Additionally, Vibracell has the pure strength to withstand extreme temperature changes that affect traditional wooden bodies and necks.

The Hard Rock resort opened on March 10, 1995, as the world’s first rock and roll-themed hotel. The Hard Rock featured various memorabilia in conjunction with its music theme. Warwick Stone was the longtime curator for the Hard Rock Hotel and Hard Rock International. At the time of its opening, the resort contained $2 million worth of music memorabilia, including concert outfits worn by Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, and Van Halen. The Hard Rock also had a display dedicated to Kurt Cobain, and a piece of the plane that Otis Redding died in. Other items included one of Elton John’s pianos, a drum kit used by Stone Temple Pilots, and the shoeshine stand that James Brown worked at as a child. 

Authentication: JSA Full Letter

Cheap Trick Band Signed Guitar