“Bernie went into the studio with a host of guitars – but ended up using this £125 Squier for 95% of the sessions. It was one of the best Strats he ever played”: Inside the Bernie Marsden guitar auction – featuring rare Strats and a Greeny-esque ES-335

If you’re a fan of the late Bernie Marsden, then Gardiner Houlgate Auction Rooms in Corsham, Wiltshire is the place to be on 11 June. With over 250 lots comprising everything from high-end electric guitars and amps to pickups, prints, posters and other assorted paraphernalia, there’s a chance for everyone to snag something from the collection. 

It’s not all upper-tier equipment, either. On the contrary, alongside the vintage Gibson and posh PRS guitars there’s humbler fare on offer, including several PRS SEs and the Fender Squier Stratocaster you see here, for instance. 

When we were given the chance to have a look around the warehouse-sized storage facility that is currently the home of the collection at Gardiner Houlgate, we were spoilt for choice. Eventually, after opening many cases, we settled on a mere tip of the iceberg selection. 

We also took the advantage of sitting down with Luke Hobbs, the auction house’s head of the guitar department, auctioneer and valuer, for additional insight into some of the amazing gear on offer.

1988 Korean Squier Stratocaster – Estimate: £300 to £500

When Bernie went into the studio to record his 2005 Stacks album, he went armed with a whole host of guitars – both vintage and modern – but ended up using this humble Squier for around 95 per cent of the sessions. 

Reputedly costing him an equally humble £125, Bernie is on record as saying that he found the Squier in a local music shop and picked it up because he liked the colour and that it turned out to be one of the best Strats he’s ever played. 

Luke Hobbs takes up the story: “I think, in the auction, it’s almost my favourite guitar, personally, because of the story that it’s got with it,” he smiles. “Bernie turns up with this huge arsenal of guitars and that’s the one he ends up recording most of the album on. And he had some phenomenal guitars to choose from. 

“We all know how much of a good storyteller Bernie was, one of the greatest storytellers in rock ’n’ roll, really, and that’s one of them that features in his book, Tales Of Tone And Volume [Rufus Books, 2018]. It just goes to show how good these – what are considered budget, low-value Strats – can be. 

“And I think now is the time to buy them because they are still obtainable. I think these Japanese- and Korean-made [Strats] from the late ’80s, early ’90s will be the next ones that will start creeping up to mid‑hundreds‑plus guitars in the future.”

2000 John Cruz Masterbuilt Rory Gallagher Stratocaster – Estimate: £4,000 to £6,000

An interesting entry into the auction because this John Cruz Masterbuilt Strat predates the team-built Fender Rory Gallagher signature models that were officially launched in 2004. 

It’s one of 40 models that preceded the official release, which adds a touch of limited-edition appeal into the sale. Superbly rendered relicing adds to the thoroughly battleworn allure of this guitar, but how did it end up in Bernie’s collection?

“It was a fairly recent acquisition in Bernie’s hands, I think,” Luke recalls. “I seem to remember going to see him about a year or a year and a half ago and he seemed to indicate he hadn’t had it long at that point. He was a huge Rory Gallagher fan – he did the ‘Bernie Plays Rory’ tour [in 2010, following the album’s release the year before].

“I think he’d always wanted to acquire one and I think one of his friends was selling one, which is how he came to buy it. He liked the idea that it was almost like a pre-production one. 

“Quite honestly, I didn’t realise that they were a thing until Bernie presented me with this one,” Luke continues.

“Maybe four years previous to the production ones coming out. They basically took measurements of Rory’s original Strat and made an accurate representation, all made by John Cruz, who was obviously at the time one of the biggest builders, and made 40 of them pre-production.

“It’s a good representation of a rare collectible thing from the John Cruz era within the Custom Shop because he’s no longer there.”

1967 Gibson ES-335 – Estimate: £5,000 to £7,000

This cherry finished Gibson ES-335 is in fine condition, with some natural finish-checking adding to its allure. But it holds a few mysteries – a couple of which may never be solved. For instance, who was it that reversed the neck pickup? Was the original owner a Peter Green fan, or did Bernie do it himself? Nobody seems to know. There are also a few other features that have been changed over the years. 

“Again, this was a fairly recent acquisition,” Luke tells us. “He wanted a later 335; he had earlier ones. It’s difficult to remember, but four or five years ago he basically sent me some photos of it and said, ‘What do you think of this?’

“He could see the obvious things that were wrong. It had had a neck refinish, the tailpiece that was on there had been changed. It would have had a trapeze tailpiece originally. So it’s been converted to a stopbar. But it also looks like it’s had some kind of Bigsby on there…” 

But was it Bernie who reversed the neck pickup, we wonder? “I actually don’t know,” Luke says. “Obviously, Bernie had a love of Peter Green. So, to me, there could be two things: maybe that was one thing that drew him to it when it came up for sale, but also he could have done it himself – it wouldn’t surprise me at all. 

“Before the September auction [postponed as a mark of respect because Bernie died less than a month before it was due to take place], he had a lot of his guitars set up and whether he said to his tech, ‘I’ll quickly swap it around’ or whatever I don’t know. But it is interesting. It’s almost like it was meant to be.”

1950s Gibson Goldtop Les Paul Conversion – Estimate: £3,000 to £5,000

If the ES-335 has some unanswered questions, then with this Les Paul the plot thickens considerably. An eBay find and certainly a curio from Bernie’s collection, this Goldtop is thought to have been converted from a mid-’50s original at some point in time. 

The neck has been replaced and what would have been a wrapover bridge has been swapped for an ABR-1 and stop tailpiece to give the guitar the appearance, at least, of a later 50s model. And Bernie continued modding it himself. 

“He used this guitar quite a lot on his latest studio recordings as a go-to guitar,” says Luke. “It now has some of his own signature pickups [Cream T Beastbuckers] fitted. When it came up for sale on eBay years and years ago, I think it was listed as a 50s Goldtop that had been re-necked, and then when he went to see the guy, the guy said as far as he knew it was an old 50s wraparound that had been re-necked by Gibson.”  

“I don’t believe that for a second. I don’t believe Gibson re-necked it, but I do believe it’s an original Gibson body by measurement and just general spec. You can see where the [original bridge] posts have been taken out as well. It’s had some refinishing, but there is some original gold paint on there. 

“So it’s just an interesting thing. I think he liked the fact that it was as old as it was, you know? An old plank of wood, basically, that he didn’t need to be too precious about.”

2015 PRS Bernie Marsden Signature models: #1 & #2  – Estimate: #1 £15,000 to £20,000; #2 £14,000 to £18,000

Unlike the other guitars in the auction, this pair didn’t belong to Bernie, but are present because of the obvious connection. 

Numbers one and two of a very limited run of only six, they feature the highest appointments PRS’s Wood Library can offer, including Brazilian rosewood fingerboards, curly maple binding, African mahogany backs… and just look at the figuring on the tops! Both are hand-signed and numbered by Bernie, too. 

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“Extremely limited numbers, no expense spared with CITES-certified Brazilian rosewood necks,” Luke tells us. “The seller is someone that knew Bernie quite well and they were the first owner when they came out. And because she knew Bernie, she got him to sign them – ‘#1’ and ‘#2’ – and not all of the ones that would be available would have that signature on. 

“The quality, as you’ve seen, is just out of this world. I think they’re classy. I like the three-in-a-line control knobs. They’re just a good, simple, classic design at the end of the day. The highest grade woods, the tops on them are just insane, deluxe cases… they even smell nice when you open the case! I think it’s potentially a very good future investment.” 

1930s Gibson L-1 Acoustic – Estimate: £3,000 to £4,000

As you can imagine, Bernie’s love of the blues stretched back to the days of Robert Johnson and the other acoustic blues pioneers of the early 1900s. And so when he discovered this Gibson acoustic, he knew he had to add it to his collection.

It bears the scuffs and scars that you’d expect on an instrument with around 90 years on the clock, but its authenticity as a blues machine from that classic era cannot be denied. It follows the standard build for a 1930s L-1 with mahogany back and sides and a rosewood ’board.

Mainly all-original apart from the string pegs and very possibly the tuners, it’s a fine example of a Gibson acoustic from the era. 

“He liked small-bodied acoustic guitars and he was a big ambassador for blues guitar in general,” says Luke. “He used to get a lot of guitars from a contact in the States – I’m not sure whether this was one of them – but he couldn’t turn down the opportunity when this one came up because of the Robert Johnson connection of using smaller-body Gibsons. 

“During lockdown Bernie put out a lot of videos of him playing in his garden, playing smaller-body guitars. And I’m sure this one would have been used in the studio as well for various blues numbers.”  

• Guitarist would like to thank Luke Hobbs and Gardiner Houlgate for allowing us to photograph and spend time with these amazing instruments. For more information on the auction, see Gardiner Houlgate.