On The Turning Away

It Is, Undoubtedly, The Guitar Sale Of The Century. On 20 June, David Gilmour’s Most Prized Guitars, Including The Celebrated Black Strat, Go Under The Hammer In New York. We Join Gilmour To Hear Why He’s Letting Go Of So Many Of His Most Cherished Guitars – And Examine Some Of The Icons On Sale

- Brad Tolinski & Jamie Dickson

When Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour recently announced that he planned to auction his guitar collection, including the priceless instruments heard on such albums as Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall, the six-string world gasped. Many chalked it up to a momentary lapse of reason, but he says the idea had been brewing for quite some time.

“It’s something I’ve thought about for years,” says Gilmour in his soft-spoken but deliberate way. “These guitars have served me very well. They’ve given me songs and tunes, but I thought it would be good for them to move on and create new music with different people. Hopefully, they’ll also raise a fair bit of money, which I plan donate to charity, and that will do some direct good in this world with all its difficulties.”

Not since Eric Clapton auctioned many of his instruments back in 2004 at the James Christie salesroom at Rockefeller Center in New York has an event caused such anticipation in the guitar community. Set for 20 June at Christie’s in Manhattan, the auction of Gilmour’s 120-plus guitars is expected to reap millions. Among the most sought-after instruments will be his extremely rare #0001 Fender Stratocaster, used on Another Brick In The Wall (Part II); a Candy Apple Red 1984 ’57 Reissue Strat that served as his main performance guitar for over two decades; and the 12-string Martin acoustic heard on Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here.