Burns Double Six 12-string “borrowed” by Mark Knopfler for 50 years and used on classic Dire Straits album could fetch £30,000 at auction
A red Baldwin Burns Double Six 12-string electric guitar lent to Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler in the mid ‘70s is headed to auction, and could fetch up to £30,000, experts say.
The guitar was lent to Knopfler by old friend Jeff Sadler, who played guitar for numerous bands in north-east England, including Brethren, which later became Lindisfarne. It was originally intended to be part of Christies’ massive Mark Knopfler Guitar Collection Sale, which raised nearly £9 million last year.
READ MORE: Reverb’s Labor Day sale is on – save thousands on guitars, amps and pedals right now
However, according to auctioneer Gardiner Houlgate, the 12-string was withdrawn prior to the auction and returned to Jeff Sadler.
Despite Knopfler using the Double Six “regularly in the studio and on stage” – including on Dire Straits’ second album Communiqué, and at the band’s Prince’s Trust Rock Gala performance in the mid ‘80s – the instrument is said to be in “perfect original condition”.
Now, the guitar is scheduled for auction via Gardiner Houlgate on 9 September, alongside a Jimmy Page-owned 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120, which was given away by the Led Zeppelin man in a competition in NME Magazine in 1974.
“Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits had a huge influence on music and guitar players not just in the 1980s and ‘90s, but through to today,” says Luke Hobbs, auctioneer at Gardiner Houlgate.
“I’m confident this guitar will attract a lot of attention from fans and collectors alike – particularly as it has such a great story behind it.”
The auction – featuring both the Mark Knopfler-played Double Six 12-string and Jimmy Page-owned Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 – will take place at Gardiner Houlgate, 9 Leafield Way, Corsham, Wiltshire, SN13 9SW on Tuesday, 9 September.
The guitar will also be available for public viewing on Friday 5 and Monday 8 September from 09:00 – 17:30, and on the day of the sale, too.
For more information, head to Gardiner Houlgate.
The post Burns Double Six 12-string “borrowed” by Mark Knopfler for 50 years and used on classic Dire Straits album could fetch £30,000 at auction appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
