Guitar Johnny Marr Played After Leaving The Smiths Could Fetch Up To £30,000 With His Signature And A Handwritten Postcard Explaining How He Used It

A white Fender Stratocaster that went on tour with one of the most admired guitarists in British music is heading to the auction block next month, and the people running the sale expect it to climb as high as £30,000. According to BBC News, the guitar was played by Johnny Marr after he walked away from The Smiths.

It is a Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster, and it will be offered by Gardiner Houlgate in Corsham, Wiltshire, on 8 December. The estimate is between £20,000 and £30,000.

The Guitar Johnny Marr Picked Up After Leaving The Smiths Went On Tour With The The

Marr left The Smiths in 1987. A year later, in 1988, he joined the British band The The, and the white Stratocaster came along for that chapter of his career.

BBC News reports that Marr used it on stage during The The Versus The World tour, which ran through 1989 and 1990. The guitar can also be seen in a concert film of that tour, which carries the same name.

Marr arrived at The The after a brief spell with The Pretenders, so the Stratocaster belongs to a short, busy stretch between two very different bands. For fans of the Manchester guitarist, it is a snapshot of a musician rebuilding his sound after the group that made him famous.

A Signed Headstock And A Handwritten Postcard Come With It

Here is where the story gets more personal. Auctioneers Gardiner Houlgate say a private owner bought the guitar in 2020, and Marr, who comes from Manchester, signed the headstock at that time.

He also wrote a postcard by hand describing how the guitar had been used. That card travels with the instrument, and it gives a buyer something no catalogue photo can: the player’s own words about the instrument.

Guitar World, which covered the sale ahead of the auction, described the lot as including its original case, a signed provenance note, photographs, a thumb pick, a custom Ernie Ball “Johnny” plectrum and magazines from the period. It also reported that Fender gave Marr the guitar in 1988 and that it was built to the same specifications as the 1962 Stratocaster he loved but did not want to risk on the road.

EMG Pickups Were Fitted To Beat The Hum On The American Leg

Guitar World also reported a practical detail from the road. Marr’s guitar tech, Phil Powell, fitted EMG pickups during the American leg of the tour to cope with hum, and the guitar is described as a maple-neck instrument with a rosewood fretboard in Olympic White.

That is the kind of working-musician detail collectors love. It shows the guitar was not a showpiece sitting in a case but a tool that was adjusted and fixed so a band could get through a long run of shows.

In a 1997 interview with The Guitar Magazine, Marr said he used to take 14 guitars on the road with The Smiths, while with The The he took two Strats. Seen that way, this white Stratocaster was one of just two on the job.

“A National Treasure” Whose Guitars Already Did Huge Business

Why such a high estimate for a guitar that is not even from his best-known band? The auctioneer, Luke Hobbs, explained it plainly. “We’re valuing this guitar at around £20,000 to £30,000 based on other recent sales of Johnny Marr’s instruments,” he said.

“Marr’s equipment is very popular with collectors and fans,” Hobbs added. “Now in his 60s, he’s become something of a national treasure in the UK.”

The recent sales he is pointing to were enormous. BBC News notes that other guitars owned by Marr fetched almost £4m at an auction at Christie’s in London in September.

Christie’s Sale Showed How Much Fans Will Pay For Marr’s Instruments

Guitar World reported that nearly 100 of Marr’s guitars sold during a five-hour Christie’s auction for a combined £3,649,280, with buyers from 34 countries. His 1982 Rickenbacker 330 Jetglo led the way at £358,400.

A 1960 cherry red Gibson ES-355 made £204,800, and so did the 1984 Gibson Les Paul from the video for “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side.” A 1963 Epiphone Casino used on “How Soon Is Now” sold for £102,400, against an estimate of £30,000.

Even a nine-pickup Fender Stratocaster brought £38,400, well above a £10,000 estimate. Marr called the auction “a great experience” that “exceeded all my expectations,” and he said he hoped a buyer with an ordinary job could afford one of his guitars. Proceeds from that sale went to Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the Autistic Society.

Still Busy After Four Decades, With A Fresh List Of Collaborators

Marr is no museum piece himself. BBC News notes that he has recently written and recorded with Gorillaz, Billie Eilish, Franz Ferdinand and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

That busy schedule is part of why his old gear remains so desirable. A buyer is not only collecting a relic from the late 1980s but a piece connected to a guitarist who is still making new records.

Fans Can See It In Person Before The Hammer Falls

The guitar will be on public view at Gardiner Houlgate ahead of the sale. Members of the public can look at it on 4, 7 and 8 December, and the auction itself takes place on 8 December.

For anyone who grew up with The Smiths, The The or the jangle of late-1980s British guitar music, a chance to stand within arm’s reach of a stage-used Stratocaster is rare. Even if the price is out of reach, the viewing days are open to everyone.

What To Know If You Are Thinking Of Bidding On Music Memorabilia

Collectors who chase instruments like this one tend to look at a few things before they bid. Paperwork that ties the guitar to the musician, such as a signed note or a handwritten postcard, usually matters a great deal, as do photographs or film footage showing the instrument in use.

Here, a concert film shows the guitar on stage, the owner has a signed headstock, and the player’s own description of its use is included. Those are exactly the kind of links auction specialists look for when they set an estimate.

Estimates are also only a starting point. Auction houses build them from recent comparable sales, which is just what Gardiner Houlgate says it did, and the final hammer price can land above or below the range on the day.

With Marr’s name already lifting prices after the Christie’s results, the white Stratocaster will be one to watch on 8 December in Corsham.

Vinyl and Velvet