Instruments, amplifiers and stage equipment used by Status Quo on their recent tour, which leader Francis Rossi hinted might be their last, are to go under the hammer.
The sale will give Quo’s fans the chance to buy part of the band’s history, including its “backline” – the amplifiers and audio equipment that gave the group its distinctive sound.
Auctioneers expect the sale, which is being held at Gardiner Houlgate auctioneers in Corsham, Wiltshire, on December 3, could fetch in excess of £45,000.
Much of the equipment being sold is, according to the band, “almost still warm” from its final outing with Status Quo in August this year in Taunton, Somerset.
The auction includes speakers, keyboards, pianos and amplifiers.
Status Quo’s on-stage backline was fundamental to the band’s look and sound.
A white covering on the amplifiers was created by world-famous amplifier manufacturer Marshall specifically for the band.
Many of the items offered in the sale can be seen in the 2017 live concert film Down, Down And Dirty at the Wacken music festival in Germany.
Also included in the sale are many items from Rossi’s home studio, as used to record both Status Quo albums and his own solo albums.
Rossi said: “This equipment has lived a life but can still deliver at the top of its range.
“All these items have been used directly by the band, have travelled miles with us and got an outing most recently at the August 23 show in Taunton in the UK.
“This is the real deal. This phase of Quo is over and it is time to pass these pieces on to our fans.”
Auctioneer Luke Hobbs added: “Status Quo are a British rock institution so it’s with mixed feelings that we’re auctioning their equipment.
“However, the sale will give Quo’s fans a chance to buy a piece of British rock history. We’re expecting a lot of interest.”
Founded in 1962 and adopting the name Status Quo in 1967, the band carved out a niche in the British rock scene for blues-based boogie with hits such as Caroline, Paper Plane, Whatever You Want and Rockin’ All Over The World.
With a career stretching more than 60 years, the band produced 60 UK chart hits, 33 albums and were the opening act for 1985’s Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here