Nearly 100 guitars going under hammer is not small thing ah,especially when some of them are tied to Smiths,Billie Eilish and so many songs people have carried for years .
Auction is set for September 17 in London,and naturally music fans and collectors are already watching closely . Because this is not just random gear sale,these are instruments from someone whose chiming guitar sound basically shaped British pop music for whole generation .
One biggest piece is 1960 Cherry Red Gibson ES-355,gifted to Marr by music mogul Seymour Stein as incentive for The Smiths to sign with his label,Sire Records . That same guitar is famously linked with "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now," which already gives it serious history.
And Marr’s reason for letting them go is actually quite touching . He said he did not want studio space to become museum,and then said,"I thought about people in Belfast or in Dundee or Tokyo owning one of these guitars for rest of their lives — coming down to breakfast in morning and really loving and cherishing this instrument."
Few things standing out here:
- Auction includes nearly 100 guitars and will take place on September 17 in London .
- Percentage of proceeds will support organizations like The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association .
- Guitars will be shown in New York and London before auction.
And tbh,that quote makes whole thing feel less like celebrity selling stuff and more like passing pieces of music history into other people’s hands . Emotional,yes,but also maybe cathartic for him only.
There is also Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo,known for its role on tracks like "This Charming Man" and for appearing on cover of Oasis' debut single,"Supersonic." Then Green burst Telecaster,gift from Marr's wife,which people remember from The Smiths' legendary performance on BBC's Top of the Pops .
Marr’s Martin D-28,a 12-string acoustic guitar,was used to write classics like "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," while Cherry Gibson Les Paul Standard was last guitar he played on stage with The Smiths . That part feels heavy,because last-stage instruments carry different kind of memory .
The guitars will be displayed at Christie's in New York this summer,before coming back to London for auction . Estimates are ranging from £1,000 to £150,000,so some pieces may go to collectors,but maybe few will actually end up with musicians who play them daily .
And that is where whole thing sits in mind… are these guitars becoming trophies behind glass,or will someone somewhere in Belfast or Dundee or Tokyo actually plug one in and make new noise with it…
