GIBSON INCORPORATED, KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN, 1960

Johnny Marr acquired this 1960 Gibson Les Paul Special in the mid to late 1980s through well-known guitar tech Alan Rogan and used it extensively in the studio with Electronic, the synth pop supergroup he formed with New Order’s Bernard Sumner in 1988. Most notably, the guitar can be heard on the song ‘Second Nature’, which was released on 3 February 1997 as the third single from Electronic’s 1996 album Raise The Pressure, as well as album track 'Out Of My League'. Speaking to The Guitar Magazine in 1997, Marr said of the album: I think it's really soulful. Songs like ‘Second Nature’, ‘Visit Me’ and ‘Dark Angel’ are upbeat, poignant, melodic, sad – you're not sure whether they're happy or sad. That's the kind of song I like. I don't know if I'll ever get away from writing songs like it. Although Electronic did not tour the album, Marr played the Les Paul Special for a live performance of ‘Second Nature’ and ‘Out Of My League’ on the BBC television show Later With Jools Holland on 30 November 1996. This guitar was also set up on stage when Marr appeared on the Channel 4 television show TFI Friday on 13 December 1996 and 7 February 1997.

Some twelve years later, Marr brought the Les Paul Special to Seedy Underbelly Studios in Los Angeles in March 2009 to record the 2009 album Ignore The Ignorant with British indie rock group The Cribs, of which he was an official member from 2008-2011. He used the Les Paul Special on the title track ‘Ignore The Ignorant’, as well as the album’s lead single ‘Cheat On Me’, which was released on 31 August 2009. Both Marr and fellow Cribs' guitarist Ryan Jarman are seen playing this guitar in Secrets Saved, a video documentary of the recording of the album that was included with the deluxe album box set The Roses Edition.

See lot 93 for additional images of this lot.