Mark Knopfler became famous as the frontman of Dire Straits. He is considered one of the most accomplished guitarists. But now he is getting rid of most of his instruments.
When Mark Knopfler walks through the rooms at Christie’s, he has mixed feelings. Around 120 guitars and several other musical instruments and amplifiers from his possession are currently on display at the London auction house before being auctioned there on Wednesday.
“Admittedly, when I saw some of the pieces I had to swallow a little and wish I could take them home again,” admits the 74-year-old musician and ex-leader of Dire Straits at the exhibition opening. “But at the same time I’m happy. It’s kind of a happy pain because hopefully they’ll become new friends to their new owners and build new relationships with them.”
Guitars as far as the eye can see – countless models from Knopfler’s 50-year music career can be seen until the auction “The Mark Knopfler Guitar Collection” at Christie’s. A room in the building on King Street has been dedicated to an example that has made or at least experienced rock history.
Knopfler used the reissue of the “Gibson Les Paul Standard ’59” from 1983 to record the Dire Straits hits “Money For Nothing” and “Brothers In Arms”. He also played it at the historic “Live Aid” concert at Wembley Stadium in 1985. Bids of between 12,000 and 17,000 euros are expected for the instrument.
The value of an original from the late 1950s is significantly higher. “I think, in terms of the quality and rarity of old guitars, the highlight of this auction is the ‘1959 Gibson Les Paul’,” says Kerry Keane, the musical instrument specialist at Christie’s, in an interview with the German Press Agency in London .
“Between 1958 and 1960, the “Les Paul Standard”, often referred to as “Flame Tops”, were manufactured. Only 1,700 were produced. The 1959 ones are probably the most sought after.”
The guitar, which Knopfler acquired in 1999 and used on several solo recordings, is in “spectacular” condition, says Keane. The expected hammer price, which is between 350,000 and 580,000 euros, is also spectacular.
A guitar lover for a long time
Mark Knopfler, singer, guitarist and composer of immortal world hits such as “Sultans Of Swing”, “Money For Nothing” or “Walk Of Life”, has been an absolute guitar lover since his childhood. It all started with Hank Marvin. The influential guitarist of the band The Shadows (“Apache”) comes from Newcastle, where the Glasgow-born Knopfler grew up. The young music fan Mark was so enthusiastic about Marvin that he wanted nothing more than a guitar.
He regularly visits Newcastle’s music shops. “I fulfilled every cliché and pressed my nose against the shop window,” says Knopfler. “One day I gathered up all my courage. I can still see myself reaching out my hands and picking up an acoustic guitar from the wall.”
One of the employees threatened him with violence if he dropped the instrument. “But that didn’t deter me.” To this day he can’t walk past a music store without looking inside.
The great success later enabled Knopfler to buy the guitars he could only dream of before and to acquire a large collection. The music veteran, who is also famous for his fingerpicking style, says he had “wonderful times” with them.
Knopfler also auctions off cheaper examples
But now it’s time for the instruments to “experience new adventures with new owners.” After all, he can’t play all the instruments, says Knopfler, who is releasing his new studio album “One Deep River” on April 12th. The first single from it, “Ahead Of The Game”, has just been released.
Christie’s is delighted to be able to auction off such a musical treasure. To do this, a team of experts looked intensively into Knopfler’s career with and without Dire Straits. “It’s a real research project,” reports sales manager Amelia Walker, who is responsible for the auction. “We delved deeply into the history of each individual instrument.” An accompanying illustrated book with more than 250 pages documents the entire collection.
There may also be something for less well-heeled guitar and music lovers. Some estimated prices are under 1000 euros. Most of the instruments were priced in the four or five figure range, including a shiny silver resonator guitar from the US manufacturer Dobro.
Dire Straits fans will do a double take as a similar model graced the famous Brothers In Arms album cover. The 90s edition is available comparatively cheaply – estimated price: 1,800 to 2,900 euros.
Mark Knopfler has announced that he will donate a portion of the proceeds to various charitable causes. The guitar virtuoso, who doesn’t want to be at Christie’s on the day of the auction, will probably still be a little sad. “I’ll be fine,” he assures somewhat ironically and grins. “I’ll be fine.”