Joan Jett

Lot 22. Joan Jett’s Signature Gibson Worn White Melody Maker.

Joan Jett’s signature Gibson Melody Maker with a worn white finish. Inspired by the Melody Maker Jett acquired in 1977, the guitar is constructed of a slab mahogany double-cutaway body with a slimtapered neck and ebony fingerboard.

Featuring a powerful Gibson Burstbucker 3 zebra humbucker with slightly overwound asymmetrical coils and unpolished Alnico II magnets, the instrument is outfitted with mini-Grover tuners, “witch hat” knobs, a “kill” switch, and a retro black vinyl pickguard.

Manufactured in 2007, the headstock is engraved with the serial number, “031870400.” The truss rod cover boasts Jett’s facsimile signature, and both the front and the reverse of the guitar are emblazoned with a Joan Jett and The Blackhearts logo vinyl stickers.

The owner’s manual, pre-pack checklist, and an additional Blackhearts vinyl sticker are included. The factory relic-ed guitar exhibits some wear to the tuning pegs and surface marring to the pick guard. It is accompanied by a black Gibson hard shell case measuring 15.5”x42.5” and 4.75” deep with surface scuffing and wear.

Johnny Marr started his career with The Smiths, beginning an amazing history as one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists in British independent music.

His subsequent creative journey has seen him at the heart of The The, Electronic, Modest Mouse and The Cribs, as well as working with such names as The Pretenders, Talking Heads, The Avalanches, and the musician and composer Hans Zimmer - with whom he recently recorded the score and soundtrack for the forthcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, including the title track created with Billie Eilish.

In the wake of his time leading The Healers, Marr’s solo career has given rise to three UK Top Ten albums - The Messenger (2013), Playland (2014) and 2018’s Call The Comet. He now returns with his most expansive work to date, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4. It was created during the long, uncertain period that followed the arrival of the UK’s first lockdown, when his focus was pushed into both his interior life, and evoking the emotional states of others.

“It’s an inspired record, and I couldn’t wait to get in and record every day,” he says. “But I had to go inwards.” The new album reflects his multi-faceted past, but takes his music somewhere startlingly new. “There’s a set of influences and a very broad sound that I’ve been developing - really since getting out of The Smiths,” he says. “And I hear it in this record. There are so many strands of music in it. I think it’s the most ambitious solo record I’ve done.”

photo credit Andy Cotterill