Black-bodied Washburn electric guitar smashed on stage by KISS’s Paul Stanley during a concert at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City on April 4, 2000, while the band were on their Farewell Tour. The head, neck, and bridge are missing, as is the lower pickup and volume knob. The base of the neck has snapped cleanly, the result of the prop guitar having been cut prior to the performance. Accompanied by a printed image of Stanley with a similar broken guitar, a bag of confetti taken from the show, the original concert ticket stub, and printed sheets of the Myriad Convention Center seating chart and a list of Farewell Tour concert dates. Also accompanied by a letter of provenance from the original recipient who “personally received the broken guitar from Paul Stanley after he broke it on stage at the concert.” Stanley has been smashing his guitars on stage since the mid-1970s, initially using surplus Gibsons he acquired through an endorsement deal before switching to specially prepped ‘Smasher’ guitars in the eighties; an adjustment that required less physical force while maintaining similar visual impact. Obtained during the last tour to feature the original KISS lineup, this stage-smashed guitar represents an intense and enduring tradition of one of rock’s most recognizable faces.
Website containing an image of Stanley on stage with a similar smashed guitar.
