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Pete Townshend/The Who
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Pete Townshend/The Who
Price Realized
(Set Currency)
  • £24,000
  • ($45,672)
  • Price includes buyer's premium
Estimate
    £20,000 - £30,000
  • ($38,060 - $57,090)

Sale Information

Sale 5676
POP MEMORABILIA
5 May 2005
London, South Kensington





Lot Description

Pete Townshend/The Who
2BA circa 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe,Serial No. 956924, in cherry sunburst finish, single cutaway body, mahogany neck, 22 fret bound rosewood fingerboard with crown inlays, two humbucker pickups, four rotary controls, selector switch, metal bridge and cream pickguard ---owned by Pete Townshend,circa 1973-1978 and played by him onstage; accompanied by a black softshell case and a document concerning the provenance. (3)

Special Notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Saleroom Notice

Pete Townshend owned this guitar until 1975, not 1978 as stated in the catalogue, when it was acquired by the current owner.
The pickups are mini humbuckers and not standard humbuckers as stated in the catalogue.

Lot Notes

Research suggests that this Gibson was played by Pete Townshend at either The Who's concerts in Newcastle, 5th-7th November, 1973, or at the Madison Square Garden concerts, 10th-14th June, 1974.

This Gibson Les Paul Deluxe was given by Pete Townshend to an employee who subsequently sold it to the current vendor. When the guitar was given away by Townshend it was in three pieces. The only unoriginal parts are the headstock, which apparently was unrepairable, and the pickups, which are replacements as one of the original mini humbuckers was missing so both were replaced with standard humbuckers.

Post-Lot Text

See back cover illustration

Photograph courtesy of Bob Gruen/Star File