Former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing’s 1967 Flying V has sold in a London auction for approximately $189,000, as Blabbermouth notes. It was on of 11 of Downing’s guitars the International auction house Bonhams sold in their Entertainment Memorabilia auction, which concluded on December 11th. The guitar was used on a number of classic albums, including Sad Wings of Destiny and Point of Entry.
Another of Downing’s guitars fetched equally impressive coin: His 1971 Flying V Medallion was sold for approximately $102,000. The entertainment-themed lot also included a 1970s Heliocentric Helios Console used by Led Zeppelin when recording Album IV, which sold for just under $142,000, and a 1959 second draft treatment carbon copy of James Bond of the Secret Service, which sold for around $44,000.
Downing’s autobiography, Heavy Duty: Days and Nights in Judas Priest, was released in September. Reflecting on his thoughts on the good and bad eras of his time with Judas Priest, which he quit in 2011, he told Rolling Stone that “aspiring to be successful is a lot of fun.”
“It was good to be down and out but united and all equal. It was total democracy: no money to share out. And when we had the success, it was so cool. Our glory years up until when [frontman] Rob [Halford] left were all good. After he left, it became hard work,” he said. “[Tim] Ripper [Owens] is a fantastic guy, but something was not there. Then when Rob came back, I enjoyed Angel of Retribution and Nostradamus. For the most part, when we were together being prolific, it was pretty good. Ninety percent of the time was good. I’m eternally grateful for that.”