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Lot Essay
This is the backup and alternative for the sunburst Les Paul Custom [lot 99]. I've used both a lot on my solo albums. I like these 1973 Les Paul Customs because they're the sound of British punk rock in the 1970s.
JOHNNY MARR, MARR’S GUITARS, 2023
Seeking a heavier sound in the style of proto-punk guitarist James Williamson of Iggy and the Stooges, Johnny Marr acquired this black 1973 Les Paul Custom from Richard Henry Guitars in 2016 as an alternative to his 1974 Sunburst model (see footnote to lot 99), both of which became go-to guitars during the recording of 2018’s Call The Comet and 2022’s Fever Dreams Pts 1-4. While Marr has primarily played his Signature Jaguars on stage since their release in 2012, he explained to Martin Kelly that In the studio, I still mix it up a lot and pull out different guitars that make me do different things. The Les Paul Customs have been a big part of my last two solo albums. Following the release of his fourth solo studio album Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 in 2022, Marr told Premier Guitar: A lot of my gear for this record was really deliberately selected, and I really honed in on a few things. I’ve got two 1973 Les Paul Customs I used for some of the darker sounds... I ran those through my old MXR Flanger and either my Marshall Plexi or my HH transistor combo. Those things were part of the stylistic structure I wanted to maintain. The black Les Paul Custom can be heard on the tracks 'The Tracers' and 'Actor Attractor' on Call The Comet, and 'The Speed of Love' and 'All These Days' on Fever Dreams Pts 1-4.
Most notably, Marr played this 1973 Les Paul Custom when he joined The Pretenders on stage for the second half of their set at Glastonbury Festival on 24 June 2023 to perform six fan favourites including ‘Back on the Chain Gang’, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, and ‘I’ll Stand By You’. My favourite thing about Glastonbury over the years is seeing my guitar heroes, Hynde said as she introduced Marr to the stage. Assembling something of a supergroup, Chrissie Hynde also brought out Dave Grohl as a surprise guest to play the drums on ‘Tattooed Love Boys’. Marr reflected on the guest appearance in a 2024 TikTok short: I was in the Pretenders as a member of the band between 88 and 89 for a couple of years… and Chrissie and I have stayed good friends. We were hanging out earlier in the year and she just said to me why don’t you get up with me and play at Glastonbury… Playing a song with The Pretenders turned into two songs and then that turned into four songs and in the end it turned into six songs, one of which involved Dave Grohl, which was a nice moment. It’s a lovely thing for me because… years before that I’d been in the band, and I’d played those songs, so it was a nice kind of loop round to being with old friends and playing music that I know and love.
JOHNNY MARR, MARR’S GUITARS, 2023
Seeking a heavier sound in the style of proto-punk guitarist James Williamson of Iggy and the Stooges, Johnny Marr acquired this black 1973 Les Paul Custom from Richard Henry Guitars in 2016 as an alternative to his 1974 Sunburst model (see footnote to lot 99), both of which became go-to guitars during the recording of 2018’s Call The Comet and 2022’s Fever Dreams Pts 1-4. While Marr has primarily played his Signature Jaguars on stage since their release in 2012, he explained to Martin Kelly that In the studio, I still mix it up a lot and pull out different guitars that make me do different things. The Les Paul Customs have been a big part of my last two solo albums. Following the release of his fourth solo studio album Fever Dreams Pts 1-4 in 2022, Marr told Premier Guitar: A lot of my gear for this record was really deliberately selected, and I really honed in on a few things. I’ve got two 1973 Les Paul Customs I used for some of the darker sounds... I ran those through my old MXR Flanger and either my Marshall Plexi or my HH transistor combo. Those things were part of the stylistic structure I wanted to maintain. The black Les Paul Custom can be heard on the tracks 'The Tracers' and 'Actor Attractor' on Call The Comet, and 'The Speed of Love' and 'All These Days' on Fever Dreams Pts 1-4.
Most notably, Marr played this 1973 Les Paul Custom when he joined The Pretenders on stage for the second half of their set at Glastonbury Festival on 24 June 2023 to perform six fan favourites including ‘Back on the Chain Gang’, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, and ‘I’ll Stand By You’. My favourite thing about Glastonbury over the years is seeing my guitar heroes, Hynde said as she introduced Marr to the stage. Assembling something of a supergroup, Chrissie Hynde also brought out Dave Grohl as a surprise guest to play the drums on ‘Tattooed Love Boys’. Marr reflected on the guest appearance in a 2024 TikTok short: I was in the Pretenders as a member of the band between 88 and 89 for a couple of years… and Chrissie and I have stayed good friends. We were hanging out earlier in the year and she just said to me why don’t you get up with me and play at Glastonbury… Playing a song with The Pretenders turned into two songs and then that turned into four songs and in the end it turned into six songs, one of which involved Dave Grohl, which was a nice moment. It’s a lovely thing for me because… years before that I’d been in the band, and I’d played those songs, so it was a nice kind of loop round to being with old friends and playing music that I know and love.