Midland Team With Reverb to Sell Personal Guitars and Gear

Hit making honky-tonk trio Midland are selling some of their most prized possessions, giving fans the chance to own a piece of country music history.

Announced by the band’s Mark Wystratch, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson today (July 8), Midland is partnering with online gear-swapping site, Reverb for the special sale. They’ll offer up guitars, pedals, amps, and more used on tour and in the studio throughout the band’s career, and it’s not an auction with gear going to the highest bidder, it’s more or less a celebrity yard sale.

The Official Midland Reverb Shop shop goes live July 15 and will include items like a vintage Fender “Ron Emory” acoustic guitar signed by the band, which lead vocalist Wystrach calls the “original guitar that helped start Midland.” He and his future bandmates passed the six-string around while relaxing on the porch of a cabin overlooking the Teton Mountains for Duddy’s 2013 Wyoming wedding, and Wystrach says that’s the moment their idea for Midland became a reality.

“Midland was the result of that magical atmosphere mixed with a little bit of alcohol, some nostalgia, and three buddies who are musicians. It was the perfect setting and the perfect chemical reaction to start Midland,” he explains. “This is the guitar that started it all and I can’t wait for someone to own this exciting piece of country music history.”

Likewise, the band are also selling a 1967 Fender Telecaster Custom electric guitar which Carson played at the band’s first ever show and in the “Put the Hurt on Me” music video; a 1961 Gibson ES-335 electric guitar that Carson played in big shows like their recent appearance at the Houston Rodeo; a 1963 Fender Stratocaster electric guitar from the “Mr. Lonely” music video; a 1965 Gibson Firebird 12-String electric guitar from the On the Rocks Tour; and a 1964 Gibson J-200 electric guitar that Carson has played extensively on the road.

“As much as I idolize people like Bruce Springsteen who are associated with one guitar they’ve played throughout their whole career, the truth is that I find myself falling in love with different guitars,” Carson explains of the decision to sell such meaningful keepsakes. “Each of these guitars is older than me — they had a whole lifetime before me and they’ll have another lifetime or two or three after me. A lot of these guitars were my Number One guitars at different points throughout my career and I hope they will go on to be other people’s Number One vintage guitars. The best thing you can do is play them.” 

The band have also announced the sale will help out a very worthy cause. A portion of all proceeds from The Official Midland Reverb Shop will go to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas.