Schecter Chandler Telecaster ex Pete Townshend – The Who

While instrument destruction became a defining anti-conformist ritual of punk through figures like Kurt Cobain or Pete Townshend, surviving guitars from The Who performances are extremely rare. This 1979 Schecter Telecaster is one of those historical exceptions, having survived the famous Who Are You tour. Personally gifted by David Schecter to Townshend at Madison Square Garden, the instrument still bears a “scar” on its side—likely the result of one of Townshend’s attempted smashings.

Its journey did not end there: later fitted with a B-Bender system at the guitarist’s request, it was acquired by Keith Page, technician for Gary Moore. The Irish guitarist subsequently immortalized it in the studio on the albums Run for Cover and Wild Frontier. Marked by years of intense rock’n’roll use, this guitar embodies a prestigious dual legacy and remains one of the rare intact witnesses to Townshend’s onstage fury.