Auctioned Fret-King guitar signed by the stars raises over £1000 for charity

Nov. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- A Fret-King Esprit guitar signed by a host of stars in aid of Cuban music school children has raised more than £1000 at auction.

The guitar, donated by Fret-King brand owner John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd., was signed by the likes of Billy Bragg, Phill Jupitus, Amy MacDonald, Catherine Tate and Ellie Goulding during a tribute concert to the late singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl in October 2010. During the auction, the Esprit received loads of attention and plenty of bids as it rocketed past its reserve price to reach an astonishing £1001.

The guitar's lucky winner was music fan John Lodge from Maldon in Essex. He said: “What a lovely bit of kit this Fret-King Esprit is! I will support anyone who gives their time to introduce kids to the rewarding world of music and I just love the Buena Vista Social Club. One day, these kids will be producing great sounds long after I'm gone."

John's generosity will ensure that a number of Cuban children will be able to pursue their dreams of making music.

The auction was organised by Kirsty MacColl's band member, Gary Sanford, and his wife Jen. Gary said: “Support from friends and fellow musicians all over the world has been brilliant. The artists who performed at the Kirsty Tribute gig and who signed the guitar, especially Billy, Amy, Kim Wilde and Andrea Corr, plus active Twitter users – like Reece Shearsmith, Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross – really got behind it and that was overwhelming. A huge sincere thank you to one and all.”

Gary's recent trips to Cuba have given him a desire to continue their fundraising efforts. He said: “Having just returned from Cuba, the hardships that the music students and musicians have can't be overlooked, but the music is just phenomenal despite it all. I was honoured to give the first ever rock & blues guitar clinic and distributed a much needed supply of guitar and violin strings directly to the students. It was quite a humbling and truly inspiring experience.”

“We then had a blues jam with students and music professors which is something I'll never forget and hope to do again. There's no doubt that the incredible music of Cuba will greatly benefit from our continued support like the auction and the winning bidder will have something truly special."

JHS distribute Fret-King guitars worldwide. For more information, visit the JHS website.

END

Useful links:

The eBay auction:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kirsty-MacColl-Concert-Guitar-B...

Karma Studio:
http://web.me.com/karmastudio/site/NEWS.html

Fret-King:
http://www.fret-king.com

JHS:
http://www.jhs.co.uk