Johnny Marr is set to auction off nearly 100 of his guitars, including ones he played with The Smiths and Billie Eilish, and will be donating proceeds to charity.
Marr first had the idea to auction off some of his guitars back in 2023 when he was working on his book Marr’s Guitars, which listed, celebrated, and told the story behind the impressive collection of instruments he gathered across his long career.
Speaking to BBC News, Marr said that while the book gave him “an excuse to take all the guitars out”, he found “the idea of them all just going back into storage” to be “very weird”. He added that he couldn’t help but imagine how much other people would “love and cherish” the guitars if they were to get their hands on them.
“Once I got that idea in my head, I thought it was really much, much more, more appealing than them being in some glass case,” he continued.
Now, nearly 100 guitars from his collection are going to auction, including the 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo, which he used on iconic Smiths songs including ‘This Charming Man’ and ‘What Difference Does It Make’. The guitar was also lent by Marr to Noel Gallagher for Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’ recording sessions, and appears on the cover of the Britpop giant’s debut single, ‘Supersonic’.
Also on offer will be a 1984 Green Burst Telecaster, which was used when The Smiths appeared on Top Of The Pops that year, and one of the custom 2017 Fender Johnny Marr Signature Jaguars, which Marr used on his 2018 tour and also used when recording the Billie Eilish Bond theme, ‘No Time To Die‘.
Other standout guitars going to auction include the 12-string Martin D-28 from 1971 which he used on Smiths tracks ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’, ‘Well I Wonder’ and ‘Cemetery Gates’, as well as the iconic 1984 Cherry Gibson Les Paul Standard.
The latter was used on The Smith’s ‘Meat Is Murder’ album and also used when Marr featured on Gorillaz’s latest album ‘The Mountain’. That Les Paul was also lent to New Order’s Bernard Sumner and features on the song ‘Regret’.
“I didn’t like the idea of my studio space becoming a museum,” he told the BBC, also confirming that the collection will be split into 95 lots, and will be on display at Christie’s in New York and London over the summer.
The auctions will begin in London from September 19, and estimates range between £1,000 and £150,000. The proceeds will be donated by Marr to charities including to The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, and The National Autistic Society.
In an official statement, Marr shared: “I have loved guitars for as long as I can remember, since the first one I got at the age of five. Each guitar I have acquired over the past 50 years or so has helped me evolve as a musician, bringing new songs, new sounds and techniques.
“It’s bittersweet to be parting with these guitars but I want them to go to new homes and new people who will love them as much as I have. I hope they bring as much joy, inspiration and fun – and new songs – as they have given me.”
Discussing his decision to auction off the guitars when backstage at Gorillaz’s huge stadium show in Tottenham this past weekend, Marr said that he hopes it will be “somewhat cathartic” for him to let go of the instruments.
“I’m pathologically someone who doesn’t really look back, but this thing with the guitars has made me somewhat nostalgic, without a doubt,” he added.
Amelia Walker, Christie’s Specialist Head of Private & Iconic Collections also shared that the auction house was “thrilled” about the upcoming sale, adding: “These are the tools of a
guitarist who continually strives to innovate, and whose unmistakable sound and music has inspired musicians and fans of all ages and walks of life from the early 1980s to today.
“We are delighted to be working with Johnny Marr to find new owners and new songs for these legendary instruments.”
As well as his time with The Smiths and recent collaborations with Gorillaz and Billie Eilish, Marr has also had a storied solo career and worked with an impressive number of other artists, including Blondie, The Cribs, The Pretenders, Talking Heads, and The The.
Speaking to NME in 2023 about his Marr’s Guitars book, the indie icon spoke about how he believes that there is a sense of spirituality and energy in each of his guitars, particularly given the impressive stories they each have.
“It’s a definite, valid thing. It’s in your mind. I could tell you it’s a fact that if you have a guitar, even a brand new one, and you loan it to someone who is a good player and a good person and they really love it, then it comes back two weeks later, it feels great,” he told NME.
“I once asked this acupuncturist, an old guy in Los Angeles years ago, about chi. He was amused by my line of questioning, because I wanted to know if guitars had chi – a life force,” he added. “He said, ‘Yeah, your guitars have got chi in’. I was like, ‘I knew it! I knew it!’”
When asked for an example, Marr said that his Les Paul Custom had “still got Pretenders chi in it from Glastonbury, without a doubt”, as had many of his guitars he used with The Smiths, Talking Heads, and the one he lent to Bernard Sumner.
Last week, Marr announced his fifth solo album ‘The Age Of Everything’. Set for release on October 2 via BMG, it will be his first since 2022’s ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1–4’.