15 October 2024
Making it Rory: The God of Blues-Rock’s £100 guitar set to sell for £1m
5 minutes
The dye from Rory Gallagher’s jeans is ingrained in his chipped and dented 1961 Fender Stratocaster, making it one of the most recognisable guitars in the world. It’s the star lot at The Rory Gallagher Collection auction and Bonhams’ Head of Popular Culture & Science department Claire Tole-Moir shares the story of ‘Making it Rory’ with Howden Private Client Director Julie Webb.
Conversations with guitarist Rory Gallagher’s family started more than a year ago – what would an auction at Bonhams look like if we were to bring the collection to the market?
We always try to think creatively about how we should tell the story but with Rory it was how do we keep it Rory? He was such an esteemed guitarist; not flashy, quite humble and modest. It had to be about the music and the art.
We’re honouring the musician, the God of Blues-Rock from Ballyshannon, County Donegal in Ireland. For the family it’s a sentimental and emotional path as Rory’s brother Donal was there through it all and he's lived with the collection of guitars most of his adult life. They're part of the family.
Donal now feels it is the time to let them go. It is a large collection and you've got to look after it, manage it and insure it. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of Rory's passing so the time seemed right.
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It was a lovely moment when the family asked if I would like to hold Rory’s 1961 Fender Stratocaster and it’s remarkable when you see all the chips, dents, scratches and the dye from Rory's jeans in the wood where he played it so close to him for so long. It was Rory’s main instrument for 40 years and he played it continuously onstage and in the recording studio. He bought it second-hand in Cork, in 1963, while he was still at school, putting down a deposit and paying off the £100 in instalments. The Fender Strat still has the original 1961 neck but has undergone many modifications, as Rory told International Musician and Recording World magazine in April 1975: ‘I sweat a lot when I play and over the years the body's absorbed a lot of moisture. I've often thought that it's come to the end of its life. Recently two pickups packed up together, they just cut out when I was playing. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to get new pickups to sound the same, but fortunately, they matched perfectly.’ (Image: The Iconic 1961 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar, Serial no. 64351 stamped on neckplate, guitar (98cm) long Estimates £700,000 - £1,000,000. |
The guitar was stolen in 1966 together with a Fender Telecaster that Rory had borrowed from a friend. Rory contacted a local TV show Garda Patrol to ask viewers to help find the guitars and a few days later they were found in a ditch. Reunited with his guitar, the Fender Strat rarely left Rory's side, and it became his lucky charm. He told Guitar Magazine in 1998, ‘It came back, it's kind of a lucky charm; the guitar is a part of me. I still play it every day, I just love playing it.'
There are 94 lots in the auction and we have a public view from October 12-17 at Bonhams in New Bond Street. Anyone can come along. Auction houses have become the most wonderful pop-up museums, with free admission to see amazing collections. We did this with The Crown auction earlier this year and more than 20,000 people came through the doors.
As this is the first time that Rory Gallagher’s whole guitar collection has been seen together we are expecting to see many, many Rory Gallagher fans.
In fact, we are expecting quite a party. We want everyone to immerse themselves in the world of Rory. We’ll spotlight the guitars and give them their moment plus there will be archival images of Rory with his guitars, music and film of Rory on stage because Rory live, there was nothing like it.
Prices are not all six or seven figures, we have an online sale running alongside the main auction which features accessories in the £100s price mark through to pedals, amps, his saxophone, a mandolin, a sitar and even some project guitars which Rory was probably building or working on.
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(Image: A Martin Mandoline, 1942, Estimate £10,000 - £15,000. |
(Image: Avox AC30 Top Boost Amplifier, 1960s. Estimates £4,000 - £6,000. |
Of course, there is also his main acoustic guitar, the 1968 Martin D-35 Flat Top (estimate £30,000-£40,000). When Rory couldn't get to this Fender Strat, he would turn to his Martin to get a melody or riff down.
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(Image: A Martin D-35 Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, 1968, Estimates £30,000 - £40,000. |
(Image: A Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar, Known As Rory's 'Backup Strat', 1958, guitar (98cm) long Estimates_250,000 - 300,000 |
In the last 25-30 years the vintage guitar market has gone crazy and the pieces that Rory collected in the 60s are now very sought after. Inquiries are pouring in and because Rory toured far and wide, from Australia to the US, the instruments could attract plenty of overseas interest.
He also has a huge band of famous fans including guitarists Sir Brian May, Johnny Marr from The Smiths, Joe Bonamassa, Alex Lifeson from Rush and Joe Perry from Aerosmith. All of them cite Rory as an icon, an influence and an inspiration.
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So it could be a fan, it could be a serious collector, it could be an investor, it could be a musician or it could be an institution but I quite like the idea that someone does get to play them, creating music again – although maybe not the Fender Strat – which has become something other than just a guitar, it represents Rory and so much more. We settled on the Fender Strat’s estimate after very long conversations. It is absolutely one of the most recognisable Stratocasters in the world. In fact, you can count the top Stratocasters on one hand –- Eric Clapton with Blackie, Jimi Hendrix's white Strat from Woodstock. That's the sort of calibre. Estimates are definitely the hardest part of what we do but luckily the guitar market has seen some incredible prices over the last five to 10 years. Jimi Hendrix's white Strat went for two million dollars in the 90s. And we’ve all heard that anecdotal quote when Hendrix was asked ‘what's it like to be greatest guitarist in the world?’ and he said ‘I don't know, you need to go and ask Rory Gallagher’. It just shows you how revered Rory was then. Yes, the God of Blues-Rock. The Rory Gallagher Collection (Image: Rory Gallagher c.1979 Manchester. Credit: Steve Smith, Courtesy of The Roray Gallagher Music Library, Cork.) |
Insuring your collection
Whether you’re a collector of guitars, antique clocks or whiskey, you will need to keep up-to-date with its value and insure it correctly, as in the event of a claim you don’t want to realise you’re underinsured.
The things you collect require specialist insurance. A standard home insurance contents policy is unlikely to be suitable as it will contain sub-limits and exclusions. Typically, within a home contents policy, there will be a financial limit on jewellery, watches and art. Similarly, a musical instrument may well be excluded under a home policy if it’s worth more than a certain value, is taken out of the home, or used professionally.
Insuring your collection properly may also give other benefits including depreciation in value following damage, pairs and sets cover, particularly relevant to drum kits and even a death of artist extension.
If you would like to discuss your collection, whatever its contents, call our team of specialists on 020 8256 4901, or email privateclients@howdeninsurance.co.uk