Shrewsbury musician’s collection of guitars and cases to be sold at town auction

Halls Fine Art auctioneer Alexander Clement expects the collection, which spans from 1914 to 2012, to fetch more than £20,000 when it goes under the hammer at the company’s Battlefield auction room on September 18.

Predicted to be the star of the collection, which includes electric, acoustic and electro-acoustic guitars, is a Gibson ES-335 from the 1960s which is valued at between £5,000 to £7,000.

The legendary Gibson ES-335 is one of the most popular semi-hollow and lightweight guitars ever made and loved by musicians across all genres. The collection also includes other Gibson, Gretsch, Chet Atkins and Burns of London guitars.

There’s also a guitar case once owned by Slade lead singer and guitarist Noddy Holder which is accompanied by a letter of authenticity.

Neil, who died aged 73 in 2020, was 14 when he started singing in a school group called Tradewinds and taught himself to play the guitar.

He went on to join the Oscar York Band, a Wolverhampton show band in which his uncle Tony played the keyboard. The family pairing then formed Tailormade in the 1990s, with Neil as singer and guitarist playing swing and pop music.

Prompted by the popularity of 40s music, a new band, Moonlight Serenade, was then formed to play music from the Glenn Miller era.

Alexander, whose father was a singer-songwriter, said: “For me, it’s like being a child in a sweetshop because I am strumming the guitars as cataloguing them. There are some really interesting vintage ones from the 1950s and ‘60s.

“The auction will be of interest to collectors of vintage guitars as well as those who want to buy and play modern ones. They are all in playable condition.

“Neil’s widow, Jenny, has decided to sell the majority of the collection but is keeping a few guitars as mementoes. He was well known in the area as a talented musician who played in a number of bands during his lifetime.”