Brian James’ go-to Gibson SG – which served as one of The Damned founder’s main electric guitars and helped define the sound of early UK punk – is set to exceed its auction expectations when it goes under the hammer later this month.
The SG in question is one of the highlight lots from Bonhams’ 50 Years of Punk auction, which is taking place across April.
Punk fans will be well-versed in the lore of James’ SG Standard, dubbed by the auction house as “a unique symbol, representative of punk’s emergence in the UK”. Indeed, the vintage 1964 model, which comes fitted with a Maestro vibrola and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, was a foundational influence on The Damned’s early material.
Article continues below
It was used extensively on the punk pioneer’s first two albums – Damned Damned Damned and Music Pleasure – and played a key role in the studio, on the stage and during songwriting sessions.
Notably, it was on this very guitar that James wrote and recorded New Rose, the first punk single to be released in the UK when it landed in October 1976. Not only that, James continued to use the SG in his later work, playing it during his stint in Iggy Pop’s solo touring band at the end of the 1970s.
James, who passed away last year at the age of 70, is a founding father of UK punk, and it was with this SG which he laid down some of those early defining anthems.
Though James would later pivot to a Fender Telecaster, the Gibson SG was his first axe of choice, and the guitar he’s probably most associated with. As he once explained in an interview with John Wombat, “I’m a Telecaster man, now.
“Before, I used to play a Gibson SG, I played that all the way up to the Lords, I used it in the Damned, playing with Iggy, back in Bastard even… That guitar was part of me.”
Because of its historical and cultural significance, the SG has already exceeded its upper auction estimate of £15,000 ($20,000) and, with nine days left before the hammer goes down, it's well on track to sell for serious money.
At the time of writing, the current bid sits at £38,000 (approx. $51,000). That’s more than double what Bonhams was expecting it to go for. It might not quite make it on to the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction, but it's a sizeable sum nonetheless.
The guitar comes from the Estate of Brian James, and has the serial number 155983. It ships with a handwritten letter of provenance, and has a replaced lead pickup tone control knob.
Head over to Bonhams to find out more.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
