“In the Smiths, I used to take 14 guitars out on the road. In The The I’d just take two Strats”: The custom Fender Strat that helped launch Johnny Marr’s post-Smiths career is up for auction

Johnny Marr’s 1988 Fender American vintage 1962 reissue Stratocaster and 1980s Mesa Boogie amplifier rig are expected to reach $19,500-32,500 and $2,600-5,200 at an upcoming auction.

The Strat, which features an Olympic White finish, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, upgraded EMG pickups and upgraded hardware, is in good condition, despite having a few scuffs from its heavy usage.

“This guitar was given to Johnny Marr by Fender back in 1988. And in 1988 itself, he joined The The after a short stint with The Pretenders. The seller purchased it directly from Johnny Marr,” says auctioneer and guitar expert Luke Hobbs from the auction house Gardiner Houlgate.

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The guitar was Marr’s touring instrument during his tenure with the English post-punk band The The, particularly during their lengthy 1989 to 1990 The The Versus the World tour.

It was made in the premises that later became the Fender Custom Shop, and was crafted to the same specs as Marr’s favorite guitar, his 1962 Strat, which was too valuable to risk damage or theft.

Johnny Marr’s guitar tech, Phil Powell, kitted it with EMG pickups during the American leg of the tour to deal with hum issues. Moreover, it has an old-style Precision bass brass knob, which allows for better grip.

The guitar can be spotted in the live concert film The The Versus the World at The Royal Albert Hall and was featured heavily in promotional material released during that era.

The Strat comes in its original case, which comes with Marr’s personal thumb pick and a custom Ernie Ball ‘Johnny’ plectrum, various photos of Marr, a signed provenance note and signed headstock, a postcard detailing the guitar’s use, and various magazines from that era.

Alongside the Strat, the auction features Marr’s 1980s Mesa/Boogie amplifier rig. This comprises a Mesa/Boogie studio preamp, quad preamp, Simul-Class 295 power amplifier and footswitch, bearing live settings hand-marked to the control knobs.

In a 1997 The Guitar Magazine interview, Marr talked about his rig during this era: “I decided it was time to concentrate on playing just one guitar onstage through an entire set and letting technology do the rest of the work.

“In the Smiths, I used to take 14 guitars out on the road; in The The I’d just take two Strats… my rack cost more than the entire guitar collection! But it was all about playing, which was great.”

The auction is set to take place on September 3, alongside a limited-edition Malmbeg ABBA 40th anniversary star guitar, left-handed Gordon Smith GS-2 inspired by John Lennon’s Gibson Les Paul Junior, and a 1973 Gordon Smith guitar made for Nightwing’s Alec Johnson.

For more information, visit Gardiner Houlgate.