$43,750
1987 Dick Knight Imperial Guitar, Serial number 137, in natural finish, flame sycamore body with single round cutaway, carved sitka spurce top with bound f-holes, Billiard Cue laminate neck, 24 fret bound ebony fingerboard with block inlays mother of pearl highlights, headstock face with Prince of Wales feathers inlay, one floating humbucking pickup, one rotary control located on pickguard, metal bridge with inlayed ebony base, metal tailpiece and inlayed pickguard, 25. 5 in. scale, 7.25 in. wide. Dick Knight, born in 1907, was a Surrey based luthier who carried out guitar repairs for British musicians from the 60s/70s such as the Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Pink Floyd, The Shadows and Moody Blues and built guitars for them. Paul McCartney, according to an interview in 1980, was Dick's favorite customer. He was entrusted with repairing his Hofner bass and Bill Black's double bass. Dick also worked on Lennon's guitars. He started building archtop guitars in 1946 and Imperial was his top-of-the-line model. This was one of the last guitars that he had built before ill health struck him which prevented him from continuing guitar making. This guitar was played by Paul McCartney in his London studio in 1987, when at the request of Linda McCartney, who wanted Dick to build a guitar as a present, Dick personally took it there as a latest example of his work. According to the owner, this totally mint condition guitar has been in storage since 1987 a Read more…
Auctioneer:
Juliens Auctions
Date:
2008-05-31
