A bass guitar designed and built for The Who rocker John Entwistle will be sold at auction in Lyon, eastern France, on Thursday, an auction house said.
Estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000 euros ($13,000 to $16,240), the angular ax from a band best remembered for breaking instruments will be offered in the afternoon at De Baecque auction house.
The guitar was a “prototype” built by German manufacturer Warwick “at the request of John Entwistle after he sketched it,” auctioneer Etienne de Baecque said, before a limited run went up for sale.
Entwistle, whose gold marker signature adorns the back of the bass, donated the model after demonstrating it at the 1988 opening of a now-closed Guitar Center store in Lyon.
A Lyon-based collector has kept it since then, but has now put many of its items up for sale.
There was “a lot of interest from all over the world” in the guitar built for Entwistle, who died in 2002, de Baecque said.
“Collectors are a bit obsessive, the fact that it is signed and dated is attractive to them,” he added. “Objects like this make you dream.”
“The Who was a legendary group,” said Antoine Stacchetti, former manager of the Lyon Guitar Center, who came to see the bass and other items for sale on Thursday.
He called Entwistle “a memorable personality” after seeing him demonstrate the bass 36 years ago.
The bassist’s instrument is “a very specific model,” Stacchetti added. “It’s huge, which matches his size.”
Entwistle was known as “the Ox” for his imposing stage presence.
chp/tgb/yad
