Wuthering Heights guitar sells for £21,000 at Wiltshire auction

The guitar featured in Kate Bush’s debut Wuthering Heights solo has sold at auction for £21,500 – including tax.

The 1974 Les Paul Custom was expected to attract bids of up to £10,000 at Gardiner Houlgate Auctioneers in Corsham, Wiltshire, but went under the hammer for £17,000.

Guitarist Ian Bairnson – who died last year aged 70 – played the song with a broken arm.

Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said the price in the end “was quite deserved in my opinion”.

Explaining how much the back of a guitar can change the price, Mr Hobbs said: “The guitar itself – in original condition – is probably worth £5,000. With the modifications it has had, probably more like £3,000-4,000.

“That guitar has done significant work over the years,” he added.

An homage to Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel, Bush’s debut Wuthering Heights exceeded all expectations when it was released in 1978, becoming the first UK number one written and performed by a female artist.

It topped the charts for four weeks.

Ian Bairnson was a highly successful musician, working on albums by artists such as Joe Cocker, Mick Fleetwood and Neil Diamond. He also toured with Sting and Eric Clapton.

He was also part of the band Pilot, who produced the UK number one song January.

Mr Hobbs said he was “highly respected by his colleagues”.

Mr Bairnson’s family sold his equipment, including 12 of his guitars.

Mr Hobbs described the guitarist as “a real trooper” for playing the solo from Wuthering Heights with a broken arm. He said: “I couldn’t even play like that with a functioning arm and I’m a keen guitar player.”

The auction house – Gardiner Houlgate – specializes in selling instruments and said: “It really is an honor to bring guitars like Ian’s to the market.”