Black Strat on the auction block

What are the chances a player will end up with it?

My guess, slightly better then zero, but certainly not much more. Considering the sad state of the rock industry there are not a whole lot of artists who could afford to pay between $100.000-$150.000 for this. I reckon that its 99.99% certain that some blues lawyer will buy it to put it into his collection. Or god forbid some business oligarch snags it up as a business investment. Either way its not going to see much action.
 
I think their estimate is way low.

When Les Pauls estate auctioned off every thing I put in bids on a dozen or so items. Just to have something that Les Paul touched.

I bid twice what I could afford on each item and I didn’t get within 10% of any winning bid.

Guess I should’ve been a blues lawyer!
 
The nice thing is that you can get a brand new guitar - as good as - or even better - for a fraction of the price of that old guitar.
 
You're not buying that guitar for its sound, what you're buying is history.


To which I’ve question can anyone actually own that history ?

I don’t and won’t own that guitar, but I’ve still enjoyed a lifetime of music and inspiration from it, just as countless have.

If I bought it and put it in a case on my wall, do I possess any more of its history, or do I just own an inanimate object that was once used by a great guitarist to make amazing music ?

If one could buy it and magically erase the rest of the worlds memories of the music it would be one thing, then the owner really would possess something, but that obviously isn’t how it works. Gilmour could burn the guitar and the legacy would still go.

As such, I don’t really see what someone is getting other than bragging rights that they own a tool that a skilled craftsman used.
 
You're not buying that guitar for its sound, what you're buying is history.

Time to evoke a classic meme:

iu
 
My money is on Kirk Hammett buying it. Would make a nice partner for his ex-Peter Green / Gary Moore Les Paul....
 
I couldn't help but grin at this picture of a curator wearing white gloves to handle a guitar that's been ridden hard and put away wet many, many times...

Black%20Strat%20Gloves%20650.jpg
 
To which I’ve question can anyone actually own that history ?[

I don’t and won’t own that guitar, but I’ve still enjoyed a lifetime of music and inspiration from it, just as countless have.

If I bought it and put it in a case on my wall, do I possess any more of its history, or do I just own an inanimate object that was once used by a great guitarist to make amazing music ?

If one could buy it and magically erase the rest of the worlds memories of the music it would be one thing, then the owner really would possess something, but that obviously isn’t how it works. Gilmour could burn the guitar and the legacy would still go.

As such, I don’t really see what someone is getting other than bragging rights that they own a tool that a skilled craftsman used.

That is a philosophical question altogether. One in which I do not disagree with you. Suffice to say that there are plenty of people who think they can own history by buying a historic artifact. The planet is full of rich people who have bought expensive art and artifacts for just that very reason.

Time to evoke a classic meme:

iu

Yeah, really. What you think, or I think is irrelevant in this regard. What only matters is what the buyer of this guitar will think.

I couldn't help but grin at this picture of a curator wearing white gloves to handle a guitar that's been ridden hard and put away wet many, many times...

When it was in the hands of David it was an instrument, a piece of gear to be used however he saw fit. And as such he could do with it as he pleased. When it became part of an auction its now worth potentially up to $150.000 or more. I see nothing ironic in this. This is how capitalism works. And it is just as prone to silly illogical things as any other economic system.
 
As Dave Gilmour said in the article:

Gilmour said it was time for the guitars to move 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.”

And there's a good chance this guitar will end up in a glass cage inside a 100 million dollar mansion.
 
Anyone even entertaining the idea that it will go in the 150k range hasn't been paying attention. Look no further than Gary Moores Les Paul.

Personally, I don't care if it goes to a blues lawyer for some crazy amount...as Daves intention was to raise as much as possible for his charity and potentially changes the lives of those in need.
 
I’m one of those oddities that don’t like strats and I’m one of those that won’t give a f/buck for that guitar.
That guitar is only worth what the last people is ready to pay for it. If it’s me....
 
As Dave Gilmour said in the article:

Gilmour said it was time for the guitars to move 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.”

And there's a good chance this guitar will end up in a glass cage inside a 100 million dollar mansion.

Yup. Most likely we will never get to see or hear it again. That part at least is sad because guitars, like classic cars or classic aircraft are meant to be played, to be used, not be placed in a cage. But as Project Mayhem said, it did raise a shitton of cash for a good cause. So at least its a win in that regard. And I reckon that as part of Dave's collection its not going to be seeing much action either. He's only doing what, one tour every decade? Considering his age he may not even be alive in another decade.

I’m one of those oddities that don’t like strats and I’m one of those that won’t give a f/buck for that guitar.
That guitar is only worth what the last people is ready to pay for it. If it’s me....

I don't give a flying f*** about Gibsons, or Ibanez, or PRS, or whatever else you probably like. And that is okay. Different things for different people/ Nothing wrong with that. But I can still respect the history of an instrument. Especially ones that saw action on so many of the most iconic songs as Dave's have. Our memory defines us who we are as people, and our history defines who we are as a species. That's why some less scrupulous people go to such great length to change it if it suits their purposes. And we are also a visual and tactile species. A picture says more then a thousand words and seeing or feeling actual physical objects and buildings says more then a thousand pictures.
 
The guitar sale was benefitting the disadvantaged, so it’s sale will be life changing one way or another. Objects have always been touchstones to history, it’s the very basis of museums. To musicians, this guitar was there when iconic music was made through it, and it is a part of that history. If you own it, you hold a piece of that moment in your hands. I don’t know why the allure of that would be hard to understand. If the moment means nothing to you, neither would the guitar.

I once got a very up close look at Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and it was inspirational. Seeing the deep brush strokes and thick paint right in front of my eyes made me almost feel the passion Vincent put into painting. I imagine holding the Black Strat would give a similar feeling to me, someone very influenced by the music made on it.

But I am about as close to owning one as I am the other.
 
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