“He’s swinging this guitar around and nearly took my face off with it. It ended up on the floor and I put it out of its misery”: The “smashed up” Gibson ES-355 that broke up Oasis in 2009 is headed to auction

A 1960 Gibson ES-355 that was “smashed up” by Liam Gallagher on the night the band split in 2009 is heading for auction alongside the Takamine FP460SC acoustic guitar used to track Wonderwall.

The two guitars symbolize the highs and lows of Manchester’s biggest band. They’re part of a 150-strong collection of Oasis items set to be sold as part of a Propstore auction.

The Cherry Red, Bigsby-appointed ES-355 tells a tale of the fractious side of the Gallagher brothers’ relationship. There was no brotherly love lost on that fateful night in Paris, and it all came to a head just before they were due to step out on stage at the Rock en Seine festival.

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” Noel Gallagher wrote on the band’s website that night. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

In 2011, Noel had claimed his brother had wanted free advertising spaces in the band’s programs to promote his Pretty Green clothing brand as the straw that, slowly but surely, broke the camel’s back. In truth, things hadn’t been harmonious in the Oasis camp for some time. This was the inevitable final outburst.

“He was quite violent,” Noel said of his brotherly bust-up. “He storms out of the dressing room and picks up a plum. He threw it across the dressing room and it smashed against the wall. I kind of wish it had ended like that because it would have made a great headline, ‘plum throws plum and finishes Oasis,’” but it didn’t end like that.

“He goes to his own dressing room and picks up a guitar [the ES-355], comes back and starts throwing it around like an axe. He’s swinging this guitar around and he nearly took my face off with it. It ended up on the floor and I put it out of its misery.

“There were people who were in the band, not saying anything. We were all involved in it and nobody was saying anything. So I thought, ‘I’m fucking out of here.’’

The guitar’s history, even if tainted, means it is expected to sell for £500,000 (approx $671,000).

The Wonderwall acoustic, which was gifted to one of the band’s sound engineers after another guitar-smashing argument between Noel and Liam saw his Fender obliterated, is also headed to the auction block, with an estimate of £200,000 - £400,000.

For more information, head to Propstore.

Oasis made their long-awaited comeback this summer, with the Gallaghers expected to pocket £400m for burying the hatchet.

Noel Gallagher has already revealed what’s on his Oasis pedalboard and has worked with Gibson for a Murphy Lab-aged Les Paul, which is getting a very limited run.