Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler to auction Brothers In Arms guitars - BBC NEWS

[Jules]

Was anyone else surprised by how much that weird looking Pensa went for? Over 100k. Don't remember him ever using it.

Which weird Pensa?

[dustyvalentino]

Lot 33.

[hunter v2.0]

In all honesty, the current Pensas are little more than glorified, overpriced partscasters. Lots of the work is outsourced, unlike Suhr Guitars or Tom Anderson Guitarworks (and many more) where all the parts are produced / work is done in-house (with the exception of the manufacture of the hardware).

[Jules]

Lot 33.

Ah, yes, that one.

According to the lot essay in Christie's:

According to Rudy Pensa, this guitar was one of a number of prototypes made for a Pensa Custom jazz model by luthier Masanobu Hino. Eager for feedback on the planned jazz model, Pensa sent this custom example to Mark Knopfler as a gift in 1996.

So i guess he never got to use it but kept it as a gift, same than that V flyer guitar that his ex brother in law gave to him, lol

[primi]

The only Pensa-Suhr that means anything is the Mk1. It was ordered and built for a purpose even if rushed. And maybe the one that he pulled from the auction. The later ones I have a suspicion that he never really wanted. Rudy of course wanted him to have them for the advertisement and to stay relevant for a bit longer. So he just kept sending them as gifts to Mark.

[dmg]

Why was it called the MK1?  I mean it wasn't his first Pensa-Suhr - that was the purple SFA model and he also had the black one before then.  Should be the MK3!

And I just don't buy all this patter about it being rushed for the Mandela show.  It was not only ready for the warm-up shows but it debuted at the Princes Trust show before that!  It was obviously completed in plenty of time.

[Jules]

The only Pensa-Suhr that means anything is the Mk1. It was ordered and built for a purpose even if rushed. And maybe the one that he pulled from the auction. The later ones I have a suspicion that he never really wanted. Rudy of course wanted him to have them for the advertisement and to stay relevant for a bit longer. So he just kept sending them as gifts to Mark.

He still has a good number of Pensa guitars that Rudy gave to him and didn't sell, I remember that one he played in TR during the 2005 tour, or the one he played during the 2019 with f holes...

[primi]

Sure he does. And he'll get another one or three most likely. And they're friends. But I don't think he really wanted them. At least that's my feeling.

About Mk1 - yeah, not exactly the first one, but Pensa made it into a model and called it Mk1 so I suppose that's why

[3Strats]

In all honesty, the current Pensas are little more than glorified, overpriced partscasters. Lots of the work is outsourced, unlike Suhr Guitars or Tom Anderson Guitarworks (and many more) where all the parts are produced / work is done in-house (with the exception of the manufacture of the hardware).

Ooh, that's a bold statement. I think Mark would be going elsewhere if the quality wasn't at least on a par with other makers.  Equally, a lot of iconic guitars were partscasters (e.g. Clapton's Blackie) Making one superb guitar out of a number of good ones is a lot easier to do with a bolt-on neck Fender type of build.   

[dustyvalentino]

He wouldn't play them if he didn't like them.

He didn't seem to like the Pensa MK strats that suspiciously came out at the same time as the Fender signatures!

[Eddie Fox]

Keith Urban selling one of his most precious guitars? I think we just found out who bought one from the auction… 👀

https://youtu.be/hMBcZ6liF0o?si=WSPetpF8YGAtnvMW

[border_reiver]

Keith Urban selling one of his most precious guitars? I think we just found out who bought one from the auction… 👀

https://youtu.be/hMBcZ6liF0o?si=WSPetpF8YGAtnvMW

Wouldn't be a surprise. Keith is a major MK fan.

[dustyvalentino]

I can't believe how laid back and lax security was at Christies! They let seemingly anyone play the guitars, without a strap, balanced on their knee, with the Schecter tele right behind just waiting to be knocked over! 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VxKSb0KJw6M

[hunter v2.0]

 

Oh, man 

[quizzaciously]

I can't believe how laid back and lax security was at Christies! They let seemingly anyone play the guitars, without a strap, balanced on their knee, with the Schecter tele right behind just waiting to be knocked over! 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VxKSb0KJw6M

Yeah, Dusty, it's worse than posting videos of someone killing puppies, you should've at least put it under the spoiler

And doing it in the coat too. At first, I thought it was a fake video, but it's not. Unbelievable. The son of the highest bidder?