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Lot #550: JOHNNY MARR - Johnny Marr's 1988 Fender Stratocaster Guitar

Currency:GBP Category:Memorabilia / Music Memorabilia Start Price:10,000.00 GBP Estimated At:20,000.00 - 40,000.00 GBP
Lot #550: JOHNNY MARR - Johnny Marr's 1988 Fender Stratocaster Guitar
Please note that all bids placed through 3rd party platforms will be subject to a buyer's expense of 5%. There is no fee for bids placed on propstoreauction.com

Day 1 and 2 of the auction will be held live with in-person bidding on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th November 2023 at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London, W1J 9LN.

Please note in-person bidding is not available on Days 3 and 4 (Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th November), bids can be placed online or via telephone or written absentee form.
JOHNNY MARR - Johnny Marr's 1988 Fender Stratocaster Guitar

A 1988 Fender Stratocaster guitar used and owned by Johnny Marr during his time in British post-punk band The The.

Marr is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time, originally finding success as a founding member of The Smiths. After departing The Smiths, Marr briefly joined The Pretenders in 1987 and was then recruited by The The's lead singer Matt Johnson in 1988. This new line-up, including Marr and guest vocalist Sine& #769ad O'Connor, recorded the album Mind Bomb, which included The The's highest charting single, "The Beat(en) Generation".

This guitar was Marr's main instrument throughout the The The Versus The World global tour in 1989-1990. A live film of the same name, directed by Tim Pope, shows Marr extensively using the guitar during the final three nights of the tour at The Royal Albert Hall. The guitar also appears in photos from this time, including those featured in the tour programme, on the back of the The The Versus The World live album, and on the cover of a Japanese issue of Guitar magazine.

Obtained directly from Marr, the guitar was part of his personal collection until 2020. A handwritten note from Marr details the use of the guitar, alongside photographic evidence of Marr holding and signing the guitar at his Crazy Face Factory studio. The back of the headstock is autographed by Marr in black ink.

The guitar is a 1988 USA-made Fender with the serial number "V034381". It is a reissue of a vintage 1962 Stratocaster (one of Marr's favourite guitars at the time) and was built in what was later to become the Fender Custom Shop. It comprises a maple neck, a rosewood fretboard and a vintage white body. The guitar features two tone knobs and a brass precision bass knob for the volume control - a component added by Marr. He added this style of knob to all his tour guitars for improved grip during live use; this is documented on page 80 of the January 1990 issue of Guitar Player. EMG pickups were added to the guitar during the American leg of the world tour to solve "hum" issues experienced by Marr's guitar technician Phil Powell. The back plate is missing from the guitar to allow quicker restringing, setup and maintenance during live use on tour.

The guitar comes in a black Tolex Robin protective case, to which a handwritten label from Marr is attached. The label reads "Blonde Strat EMG Pickups" and was added by Marr to more easily identify this guitar within his extensive collection.

There are minor scuffs and marks to the guitar's body and case from extensive tour use, and notable wear on the brass volume knob. The lot is accompanied by a signed note from Marr, handwritten on one of his personal postcards; a The The Versus The World VHS; a copy of the Mind Bomb album; a The The Versus The World tour programme; an issue of Guitar Player from January 1990; Vol. 1, No. 1. of The Guitar Magazine; two large printed photos of Marr holding the guitar when it was purchased; 39 smaller loose printed photographs, including evidence of him signing the postcard; an Ernie ball red thumbpick and a black Ernie Ball plectrum which reads "Johnny" on one side both from Marr's personal collection; a "Johnny Marr Fender Stratocasters" guitar.com article printout; and a printout detailing the guitar's provenance, compiled by the previous owner. Dimensions (guitar): 99 cm x 32 cm x 7 cm (39" x 12 1/2" x 2 3/4")

Contains electronics; see electronics notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Contains Organic Materials, see notice in the Buyer's Guide

Additional Provenance:

Images of the instrument also feature in the 27 April 1991 issue of NME magazine and in the January 1997 issue of Guitar magazine.

Estimate: GBP 20000 - 40000 M

Bidding for this lot will end on Friday, November 10th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM BST and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, November 9th, Saturday, November 11th or Sunday, November 12th.