(Lyon) The Who didn’t smash all their guitars: a bass specially designed by and for British rocker John Entwistle will be sold at auction on Thursday in Lyon.
The instrument, whose value is estimated between 12,000 and 15,000 euros ($17,800 and $22,000), will be put on sale in the afternoon by De Baecque and associates.
It is “a prototype” designed in 1986 by the German luthier Warwick “at the request of John Entwistle who designed it”, explains auctioneer Étienne de Baecque. This Buzzard model, whose shape is reminiscent of a nozzle, was then produced in a limited series.
The first copy was presented by the bassist during the inauguration in 1988 in Lyon of a specialized Guitar Center store, which has since disappeared. The bassist of the Who gave a demonstration before offering the guitar, signed, to a collector from Lyon who is very involved in the world of music.
He had kept it until now, but decided to sell it with other pieces from his collection.
Since the sale was announced, this four-string guitar has attracted “a lot of interest from all over the world,” according to Me of Baecque. “Collectors are a bit of a fetishist; the fact that it is dated and signed attracts them,” he says. “We always dream a little with these objects…”
“The Who is still a legendary group,” agrees Antoine Stacchetti, who came on Wednesday to admire the objects on display to the public in anticipation of the sale. Long manager of the Guitar Center store, he attended the “demo” of John Entwistle in 1988, “a striking personality”.
As for his guitar, “it’s a very specific model”, he notes: “it’s huge, which corresponded to the size” of the rocker who died in 2002, nicknamed “the Ox” (the ox) for its solid presence on stage.