Dragonforce’s Herman Li is Auctioning Off a Prototype Custom Ibanez Guitar for Charity

Dragonforce guitarist Herman Li is auctioning off one of his most prized guitars, the proceeds of which will be donated to the family of Cody Spiess, a Dragonforce fan suffering from a rare brain disease.

The one-of-a-kind Ibanez EGEN is a 2007 prototype of the Herman Li signature guitar that the company built just for him while he was still figuring out what features he wanted on the final product. There are number of specific things that are completely unique to this prototype (the version that made it to market ended up being a bit different), and Herman describes all of them in detail in the below video.

100% of the proceeds of this auction will go to benefit the Spiess family. Earlier this year, Cody, 33, was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), an extremely rare and fatal brain disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Creutzfeldt-Jakob (KROITS-felt YAH-kobe) disease is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia and, ultimately, death. Symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) can resemble those of other dementia-like brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s.” Worldwide, one case of CJD is diagnosed per one million people, and death usually occurs within a year.

The current highest bid as of the time of this post is $6,100 with 11 days to go, suggesting the Spiess family will be getting quite a boost courtesy of Herman and his fans. Cody will be leaving behind his wife, Ingrid, and two young children, Otto and Jari, ages two and four.

You can bid on Herman Li’s Ibanez here. The family has launched a fundraiser on their own via GoFundMe to which you can donate any amount you’re comfortable. On behalf of everyone at MetalSucks, we wish Cody and his family all the best through this terrible ordeal.