Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is parting with more than 60 items from his extensive instrument collection, including a one-of-a-kind bass from 1991’s Wherever We May Roam Tour in support of the Bay Area rock band’s blockbuster known as “The Black Album.”
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician partnered with Reverb, an online marketplace for used musical instruments, to sell several guitars and basses from his Metallica days, most of which were used onstage and in the studio.
“The last 30 or 40 years as I’ve traveled around playing music for people, I’ve gathered some cool s—,” Newsted says in a Reverb video showing off his instruments. “Can’t play all these, man, and I’d like to get them in the hands of some people because I can only play so many at once.”
Among the notable items for sale include a 10-string Alembic Europa bass, which he played during the Wherever We May Roam Tour, a cherry sunburst-finished PRS bass from the Damaged Justice Tour and a 5-string fretless Zon bass used in the “Until It Sleeps” recording in 1995, which still features marking tape from Metallica’s studio sessions.
Newsted joined Metallica in 1986 after bassist Cliff Burton died in a tour bus crash, and remained with the Bay Area heavy metal rock band until 2001, when he decided to pursue other projects. He has since played with the bands Echobrain Voivod, fronted the band Newsted and toured as Ozzy Osbourne’s bassist in 2003.
Earlier this year, Metallica made history when “The Black Album” hit its 750th week on the Billboard 200 chart. The fourth album to achieve this milestone, it joins the ranks of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Legend” and Journey’s “Greatest Hits.”
Newsted’s shop opens Wednesday, July 24, and can be accessed on the Reverb website.
Reach Lauren Harvey: lauren.harvey@sfchronicle.com
