“It is the Britpop guitar… someone can say: ‘I own what he was holding’”: Auctioneer explains why Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone Les Paul is worth $100,000
Paying $100,000 for a hunk of wood might sound insane, but is it really if that piece of wood was once used by one of Britpop’s most well-loved figures on one of the genre’s most defining albums?
We’re talking about the Epiphone Les Paul used by Noel Gallagher during the final sessions for Definitely Maybe at Sawmills studio in Cornwall – a guitar that, as Katherine Schofield of Sotheby’s explains, is more than just an instrument.
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It’s a slice of Britpop history, says the auctioneer, noting that the Les Paul’s hefty auction price tag could be attributed to its fame and legendary place in music history.
“It is a modest instrument in terms of electric guitars but there are lots of images of Noel with it at the start of his career,” Schofield tells The Times. “It is the history and the provenance of the piece that counts, and this one has a wood grain that you can match like a fingerprint.”
“There has been a lot of Oasis guitars on the market but not as significant as this one. It is the Britpop guitar.”
That said, the renewed Oasis mania sparked by the band’s recent reunion announcement certainly helps draw attention. “It is always amazing when you are able to tie a sale into a specific anniversary. Our original thinking was the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe and now it has become a lot bigger,” says Schofield, who had no idea about the news when the lot was put together.
“This will draw a lot of people in to Sotheby’s to come and have a look at it because someone can say: ‘I own what he was holding.’ Britpop was a whole movement and this guitar, which is a model anyone could afford to buy, summarises it.”
Also featured in the auction is a cherry red Epiphone EA-250 guitar that appeared on the cover of Oasis’s 1994 debut single, Supersonic, and a Gibson Flying V that Johnny Marr lent to Noel for some early Oasis concerts and recording sessions for their Definitely Maybe. Both guitars are valued at £20,000-£30,000.
Learn more at Sotheby’s.
The post “It is the Britpop guitar… someone can say: ‘I own what he was holding’”: Auctioneer explains why Noel Gallagher’s Epiphone Les Paul is worth $100,000 appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
