Foo Fighters guitar could fetch £30,000 at auction

By Rod Minchin, PA

A guitar used by Dave Grohl in one of the Foo Fighters first hit videos is to go on sale.

The Gretsch White Falcon guitar, played by Grohl in the 1997 video for Money Wrench, was originally owned by the American rock band’s rhythm guitarist Pat Smear.

It was used widely on their second album The Colour And The Shape released that year.

It is expected to fetch between £15,000 and £30,000 (€17,000 and €35,000) when auctioned at Wiltshire-based specialist music auctioneers Gardiner Houlgate on September 7th.

The guitar is being sold with a Polaroid photograph taken by Smear of Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore playing it.

Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said: “This a very exciting guitar as it’s one of the few owned by Foo Fighters, arguably the biggest current rock band on Earth, ever to come to public auction.

“Monkey Wrench was the band’s breakthrough single and also the first to feature drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died tragically this March.

“I’m expecting interest from around the world. The fact that it features so prominently in the band’s iconic Monkey Wrench video makes it all the more attractive to collectors and fans.”

The White Falcon is being sold by a private collector.

Pat Smear, who was also the on-tour rhythm guitarist with Grohl’s previous band Nirvana, bought the guitar in 1996.

In a written provenance statement, Smear explained that he wanted to own a White Falcon having seen one of the instruments played by British new wave band Bow Wow Wow.