NEWBRIDGE.- Juliens Auctions today announced the unveiling of 18 bass guitars from Adam Claytons extraordinary personal collection in a first-ever exhibition in Ireland titled Played, Worn, & Torn Featuring The Adam Clayton Collection.
The exclusive three-week exhibition celebrating the U2 bassist and this collection of 18 iconic bass guitars is open to the public at The Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland from today until November 9th.
Following the exclusive three-week exhibition run in Ireland, the collection will head to Nashville where it will be auctioned at the industrys most anticipated music memorabilia event of the year Played, Worn, & Torn, taking place over two days - Thursday, November 20th and Friday, November 21st 2025 - at the Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum in the historic Municipal Auditorium and online at juliensauctions.com.
Experience the legendary bass-playing journey of Adam Clayton as Juliens, the industry-leading music memorabilia auction house, in partnership with the bass icon and co-founding member of one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time, U2, brings together 18 phenomenal axes from his personal collection at The Museum of Style Icons, home to the worlds finest collections of style, fashion and pop culture artifacts. For the first time ever, the largest curated collection of Claytons guitars will be exhibited in U2s native Ireland. (photo left to right: Martin Nolan, Executive Director/Co-Founder of Juliens Auctions, William Doyle CEO Newbridge Silverware & Museum of Style Icons and U2 musician Adam Clayton before the opening of the Played, Worn & Torn Featuring The Adam Clayton Collection exhibition at The Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland taken on Oct. 20, 2025)
Adam Clayton said Im fortunate enough to have owned many wonderful instruments in my life and I have amassed a very personal collection of basses over the last 40 years. They have all become favourites for one reason or another, a reminder of a particular tour or recording session. I return to them time and time again, its a very special relationship, I cant really explain it
My only regret is that I dont get to play them all as often as I would like, a musical instrument needs time and attention
Ill be sad to see these basses go but this is an opportunity to give each and every one of them a new home in the care of a new owner. And maybe they can become someone else's favourite.
This remarkable collection of Adam Clayton's illustrious basses, stage-played through the different eras and continents of U2's record-breaking globe-spanning tours, is set to make history once again in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to potentially own a piece of the 22-time Grammy Award-winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famers legacy. Over 20 items from Adam Claytons personal collection, including music instruments, gear, memorabilia and more, will be offered for the first time at auction, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting MusiCares, the leading music charity supporting the health and well-being of the music community.
Highlights include: Claytons 2014 Sherwood Green Fender Adam Clayton signature Jazz Bass, played during U2s Innocence + Experience tour stops in 2015, notably in Dublin, Belfast, Paris, Glasgow, London, Koln, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Turin, NYC, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Montreal, Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, and Vancouver (estimate: $40,000-$60,000); his 200 Lakland Joe Osborn J sunburst bass, played during the U2s Vertigo Tour for their classic hit One, notably in Dublin on August 27th, 2005 (estimate: $20,000-$40,000); a 2010 Gold Sparkle Fender Adam Clayton Precision Bass deemed a mistake by Claytons guitar technician due to the Jazz Bass decaled headstock (estimate: $40,000-$60,000); Claytons stunning U2 360 Tour 2010 Warwick Gold Reverso electric basses (estimate each: $20,000-$40,000); Claytons prized Fender Jazz Basses ranging from 1960s to 1970s models in Sunburst, Ice Blue Metallic, Lake Placid Blue; and more