ROGER HODGSON – SUPERTRAMP, Roger Hodgson’s Guild F-412 twelve-string

This Guild F-412 twelve-string guitar belonged to Roger Hodgson, co-founder of Supertramp and songwriter of several of the band’s greatest hits, during the period that saw the release of *Even in the Quietest Moments…*, *Breakfast in America* and *…Famous Last Words…*. Made in the United States in 1976, it bears the serial number 131411. According to Alan Simon, the instrument belonged to Hodgson from the second half of the 1970s and remained in his possession until 2000, before being given to him following the ‘Open the Door’ sessions. The F-412 holds a special place amongst Hodgson’s instruments. In an interview with Acoustik magazine, he referred to his ‘old Guild F-412’ as his main twelve-string and described it as an ‘extension of myself’ when composing. He also spoke of using a Guild twelve-string on stage during his time with Supertramp. The interview and its cover are included in the documentary file accompanying the lot. On 15 November 1976, at Caribou Ranch in Colorado, Hodgson recorded the basic take of ‘Give a Little Bit’ using a Guild twelve-string. To achieve the desired resonance, the instrument was placed in the studio’s goods lift, lowered between two floors and recorded using a Neumann U87 microphone. The guitar shown here left the Guild workshops that same year. Guild twelve-string guitars remained central to his work during the ‘Breakfast in America’ sessions. Peter Henderson, the album’s co-producer and sound engineer, describes in particular the recording of ‘The Logical Song’ using two Guild twelve-string acoustics played in unison, combined with two Gibson Les Pauls to build the texture of the choruses. The known archives do not currently allow us to distinguish between the different instruments used by Hodgson throughout these sessions; nevertheless, this F-412 dates precisely from the period when the twelve-string became one of the hallmarks of his songwriting. On stage, this combination accompanied Supertramp’s international heyday. The 1979 world tour took the band to Madison Square Garden in New York, before the concerts filmed and recorded in Paris that would give rise to *Paris*, and later to *Live in Paris ’79*. The set list featured some of Hodgson’s most iconic tracks: ‘Give a Little Bit’, ‘The Logical Song’, ‘Breakfast in America’ and ‘Take the Long Way Home’. The twelve-string guitar had by now become as much a part of his musical vocabulary as it was of his stage persona. In 1998, Roger Hodgson met the French composer and producer Alan Simon whilst working on the Excalibur project. Their collaboration continued with *Open the Door*, Hodgson’s first studio album in thirteen years. Reflecting on this period in 2000, Hodgson described four months of work involving up to fifteen hours a day and summed up their relationship in a few words: “We’ve become real friends!” From 2000 to 2026, this Guild guitar in turn accompanied Alan Simon’s work, both in the studio and on stage. According to Simon, it features notably on *Gaïa*, in the *Excalibur* cycle and on *The Brotherhat*, across tracks bringing together Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues), Jon Anderson (Yes), Alan Parsons, Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), John Wetton (King Crimson) and Fairport Convention. Simon highlights the depth and instantly recognisable tone of this instrument, which he has continued to play for over twenty-five years. Originally owned by Roger Hodgson during Supertramp’s golden age, passed directly to Alan Simon and then played for over two decades, this F-412 has never ceased to be a working and stage instrument. Guild F-412, twelve-string acoustic guitar, USA, 1976. Serial no. 131411. Spruce top, maple back and sides, maple and walnut neck, ebony fingerboard, gold-plated tuning machines. Unamplified acoustic instrument. Shows signs of use and age. The instrument has recently been inspected and serviced by Vincent Jannot, a luthier in Baden. Comes with its original case and a collection of photographs, press cuttings and audiovisual archives relating to Roger Hodgson, Alan Simon and the history of the instrument. Alan Simon wishes to donate part of the proceeds from this sale towards the construction of an earthquake-resistant school in Nepal. This project continues his commitment to the country, to which he had dedicated a charity concert held on 24 May 2015 at the Cité des Congrès in Nantes.

Estimate:£20,858.30

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