Guitars and other memorabilia once owned by John Entwistle, the late bass guitarist of The Who, sold for more than $1.6 million at auction.
The total paid for the 350 lots offered was more than twice what had been expected, Sotheby’s auction house said Tuesday. The collection included 150 guitars, drawings, clothing, rare posters, paintings, guitar cases and jewelry.
Entwistle, who died last June at 57, was one of the founding members of The Who, along with singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend and drummer Keith Moon.
The highest-selling item from the collection was Entwistle’s rare Gibson Explorer guitar, which sold for $152,000.
His favorite guitar, a pink Fender Precision bass affectionately named Frankenstein because it was made from the remains of five smashed guitars, was bought for $100,000 by an unidentified American.
The Who became one of the biggest bands of the 1960s and 1970s, with hits including “Pinball Wizard” and the albums “Tommy,” “Who’s Next” and “Quadrophenia.”
A collection of personal notes that Entwistle had planned to publish said of Frankenstein: “I used this baby from 1967 onwards, through ‘Tommy’ and all the tours up to ‘Quadrophenia.'”
He said of the Gibson Explorer: “I paid $3,730 for this in 1975. You would have to sell your house to buy it now!”
All the money from the auction will go to Entwistle’s estate.