Johnny Marr's main 1989 stage guitar and amp head to auction

23rd September 2026

Following the phenomenal success of the recent Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection auction at Christie’s, where a Johnny Marr-owned Stratocaster from his early years with The The achieved £38,400, Gardiner Houlgate is delighted to offer another highly significant instrument from this defining period of Marr’s career. The 1988 Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster in Olympic White was owned and used by Marr throughout The The’s Versus the World period of 1989–90 and is accompanied by an exceptional body of provenance, including material supplied and signed by Marr himself.

Johnny Marr (The Smiths, The The, The Pretenders) - stage used 1988 Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster electric guitar, made in USA, ser. no. V034381

 *Formerly owned by British guitarist and singer/songwriter Johnny Marr, founding member of The Smiths and subsequently a member of The Pretenders, The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse and The Cribs.

Following the dissolution of The Smiths in 1987, Marr briefly joined The Pretenders before beginning a new musical partnership with Matt Johnson of The The in 1988. The resulting line-up, completed by bassist James Eller and drummer David Palmer, recorded Mind Bomb, released in May 1989 and reaching No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. The album marked the beginning of an important and highly creative period in Marr's career, during which his approach to the guitar developed considerably.

This 1988 Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster in Olympic White became Marr's principal stage guitar during this period with The The and was used throughout the band's The The Versus the World world tour of 1989–90. Marr has recalled that, whereas he had previously taken as many as 14 guitars on the road with The Smiths, with The The he reduced this to just two Stratocasters, allowing his extensive effects and rack system to provide the range of sounds required for the band's increasingly atmospheric material.

The importance of the white Stratocaster during this tour is particularly well documented. Contemporary photographs show Marr alternating between his various Stratocasters during the 1989 legs of the tour, with the white instrument becoming increasingly prominent; by the band's three-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall at the conclusion of the tour, Marr was seen playing the white Strat for the majority of the set. The Royal Albert Hall performances were filmed by director Tim Pope for the live film The The Versus the World, providing particularly strong visual documentation of Marr with the instrument during this period.

The guitar is an early Fender American Vintage 1962 Reissue Stratocaster, produced at the Fender factory which subsequently became associated with the Fender Custom Shop. It was one of the early instruments supplied to Marr by Fender during the formative stages of his relationship with the company. At the time, Marr's favoured guitar was an original 1962 Fender Stratocaster, and this instrument was acquired as a lower-risk touring alternative, retaining the same essential specification while allowing the original vintage instrument to be kept away from the rigours of the road.

The instrument was subsequently modified by Marr's guitar technician Phil Powell, who fitted EMG pickups during the American leg of the Versus the World tour to eliminate hum problems. It also features the distinctive oversized brass Precision Bass-style volume knob that Marr used on his Stratocasters, allowing improved control of the volume swells that became such an important part of his playing with The The. Marr discussed this modification in contemporary interviews, explaining that the larger knob gave him a better grip, particularly when performing live.

The guitar is also specifically identified within Marr's collection by a handwritten case tag reading 'Blonde Strat EMG Pickups', while the case contains Marr's personal thumb pick and a custom Ernie Ball 'Johnny' plectrum. The thumb pick is particularly significant in the context of this period of Marr's playing: he used it extensively for the harmonic techniques that became a defining feature of his work with The The, including on recordings associated with Mind Bomb and the subsequent Shades of Blue material.

Marr's association with Fender began at this same pivotal point in his career. Contemporary accounts record that Fender's UK representative Tom Nolan presented Marr with a Stratocaster in 1988 when he became a Fender endorsee, beginning a relationship that would continue for decades and eventually result in the development of the Johnny Marr Signature Jaguar. Marr's use of Fender Stratocasters with The The therefore represents an important early chapter in what became a longstanding association with the company.

Recent Christie’s result

The significance and continued collector interest in Johnny Marr's Stratocasters from this period was underlined by the recent Marr's Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection auction at Christie's, London, on 17 September 2026. Lot 60, a 1987 Fender American Standard Stratocaster in Gun Metal Blue, was another of Marr's principal Stratocasters from his early years with The The and was described by Marr as one of his main onstage guitars. The instrument sold for £38,400.

Of particular relevance to the present instrument, the extensive Christie’s catalogue entry for Lot 60 also specifically documents Marr's use of an Olympic White Stratocaster during the same period. The entry records that Marr switched between the Gun Metal Blue and White Stratocaster during the 1989 The The Versus the World tour, and that by the time of the band's three-night residency at London's Royal Albert Hall, this white Stratocaster was being used for the majority of the set.

This provides particularly relevant independent context for the present Olympic White Stratocaster, whose use during the Versus the World period is itself extensively supported by contemporary photographs, the live film, tour material and the provenance supplied with the guitar. The Christie’s result also provides a highly relevant recent market reference, with Marr's closely associated Gun Metal Blue Stratocaster achieving £38,400 at auction.

While the Christie’s instrument is a different Stratocaster, the two guitars are closely connected within Marr's early Fender/The The story: both date from the formative period of his relationship with Fender, both were used during his work with The The, and Christie’s specifically identifies the Olympic White Stratocaster alongside its own Gun Metal Blue example when discussing Marr's principal instruments during the 1989–90 world tour.

The guitar is accompanied by an extensive body of provenance and supporting material, including:
- A postcard detailing the guitar's use, signed on the front and reverse by Johnny Marr.
- Johnny Marr's personal thumb pick and custom Ernie Ball 'Johnny' plectrum.
- Various photographs of Johnny Marr at the Crazy Face Factory with the guitar, including photographs of him signing the provenance note and the back of the headstock.
- The The Versus the World tour programme and VHS video, both featuring the guitar.
- Various photographs of the guitar in use during the world tour.
- A photograph of the Japanese Guitar magazine showing the front cover feature image of Johnny Marr with the guitar.
- A copy of the Mind Bomb album on CD.
- A copy of Guitar Player, January 1990, where the guitar is mentioned.- A copy of The Guitar Magazine, Issue 1, 1990, where the guitar is mentioned.
- A scan of an NME magazine featuring an image of Johnny Marr with the guitar.
- A tag on the case handwritten by Johnny Marr and inscribed 'Blonde Strat EMG Pickups'.

The guitar was purchased by the present vendor directly from Johnny Marr, who signed the back of the headstock and supplied the handwritten postcard detailing the guitar's use. This provides an unusually direct chain of provenance from the artist to the present owner.

Estimate £20,000 - 30,000

This guitar along with a Mesa Boogie amp rig, will be sold on 8th December 2026. Please contact the guitar department for futher information.