David Gilmour has announced that he will auction off more than 120 guitars from his personal collection through Christie's.
The auction, which will take place in New York City on June 20, 2019, will feature some of Gilmour's most prized and iconic guitars, some of which are valued at as much as $150,000. All sales proceeds will benefit charitable causes.
“These guitars have been very good to me and many of them have gifted me pieces of music over the years," Gilmour said in a statement. "They have paid for themselves many times over, but it’s now time that they moved on. Guitars were made to be played and it is my wish that wherever they end up, they continue to give their owners the gift of music. By auctioning these guitars I hope that I can give some help where it is really needed and through my charitable foundation do some good in this world. It will be a wrench to see them go and perhaps one day I’ll have to track one or two of them down and buy them back!”
Some highlights from the collection can be seen below.
David Gilmour's 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster
David Gilmour's 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster: Gilmour purchased this guitar in 1970 at Manny's on West 48th Street in New York City. ‘The Black Strat’ quickly became Gilmour’s primary performing and recording instrument for the next 15 years and was extensively modified to accommodate his evolving style and performance requirements. The guitar was played on “Money,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and "Comfortably Numb," among many other iconic songs. It was integral to the development of Pink Floyd's sound and was instrumental in the recording of landmark albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish