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Guitar from 1988 by Mark Knopfler at Christie's auction house
Photo: Ben Stansall / AFP
Mark Knopfler recorded the hit “Money for Nothing” with his guitar, built in 1983 - and now it has changed hands for a whole lot of money. The good piece, which the co-founder of the rock group Dire Straits also played with at the Live Aid charity concert in 1985, was auctioned off by Christie's auction house in London on Wednesday for just under 592,000 British pounds (around 694,000 euros).
However, the showpiece of his guitar collection, a Gibson Les Paul Standard from 1959, fetched even more - it reached the highest price at the equivalent of around 813,000 euros. The paint is scraped off on the back of the instrument, where the guitar rubbed against the musician's belt.
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Separates himself from many guitars: Mark Knopfler on stage in 2010
Photo: Denis Balibouse / REUTERS
"I've spent a lot of time with these guitars, but they need a good home," Christie's quoted the 74-year-old Knopfler as saying. “Why hang on to them when there are people who would love them and play them every day?”
The collection of around 120 guitars and amplifiers represents the musician's 50-year career. Together with Dire Straits, the Brit created an unmistakable sound inspired by blues and country. The band became world-famous for, among other things, guitar-heavy hits such as “Sultans of Swing” and “Brothers in Arms”.
The auction was only able to begin two hours late due to the enormous rush. A quarter of the auction proceeds will go to charities such as the British Red Cross.
In response to a question from the BBC, Mark Knopfler admitted that he might use his proceeds from the auction to buy new guitars. "I guess I'm not immune to temptation," he said.
czl/AFP