1967 Coral Hornet guitar
Overview
23 April 1968 at the Marquee.
Pete Townshend used a Coral Hornet guitars on stage in 1967 and 1968 and in his home studio until at least 1971.
The model is a 1967 Coral Hornet and featured two “lipstick tube” pickups and a non-vibrato tailpiece. The Coral Hornet was produced by the same company — MCA (which had purchased Danelectro in 1966) — that produced Danelectro and Silvertone guitars. The Hornet was a Vinnie Bell signature design.
For more information about Coral guitars, see Vintage Guitar Info – Danelectro/Silvertone/Coral.
The first reported use is in the U.S. on 29 November 1967 at Union Catholic High School Gymnasium, Scotch Plains, New Jersey (USA). (though it is unknown whether this is the same guitar used in the UK or later in his home studio.) Because Coral Hornets were actually made in New Jersey, perhaps he purchased or received this guitar during the tour. Pete purchased several of these guitars, on or about 27 Nov., 1967, from Manny’s in New York, when the group also purchased their first Sunn amplifiers.
At Union Catholic High School in New Jersey, we were all at that show and helped road manager Bob Pridden load the groups’ gear into their bus after the show. We were all very interested in the gear, having a band ourselves. He told us that the band had bought all new gear at Manny’s in NYC just a couple days before, and that Pete had bought a number of those Coral Hornets all at the same time. He said they were fairly inexpensive, and sounded pretty good, and they expected them to last a while and be easy to piece together after smashups.
Pete likely used these guitars on and off through 1968.
Following a show at the Marquee on 23 April, 1968, Pete smashed a Coral Hornet. He likely then had it repaired and kept it for home studio use.
Pete in Melody Maker:
“I smashed up two guitars at the end of the show, because one I was using had recently been repaired and broke as I came on stage, so I played another one I use for recording. At the end, I thought, ‘What the hell,’ and smashed them both. The Gibson Stereo cost £200 and the amps, which were borrowed, will cost about £20 to repair. I can’t put it down to tax because when I say I use 70 guitars a year, they don’t believe me.”
Christie’s auctions Pete’s Coral Hornet, s/n 823044
Christie’s auctioned Pete’s Coral Hornet guitar on 28 Sept., 2005, realising £6,000.
Click to view larger version. Pete’s Coral Hornet, courtesy and ©Christie’s.
Courtesy and © Christie’s:
Lot 132 – Pete Townshend/The Who
A 1967 Coral Hornet, Vincent Bell Signature Model, Serial No. 823044, in flame red finish, double-cutaway body, 21-fret fingerboard with dot inlays, two pickups, two rotary controls, four switches, jack input and pearloid white pickguard; a simulated tweed rectangular hardshell case with claret-coloured plush lining containing a torn fragment of a transit instruction [part of which is still glued to the base of the case and when pieced together the incomplete details read To Be Col…Mr Peter Towns…at Newcastle Air…Flight No. BKS…Leaving…Arrivin…; accompanied by various documents concerning the provenance from members of the punk band The Skunks including a note from Frank Cornelli, the band’s lead guitarist which states that Pete Townshend gave him this guitar in 1978 … after signing to his Eel Pie label and releasing a single I wrote called ‘Good From The Bad’ which was a feature single on the John Peel Radio One Show…he [Townshend] told me that the Hornet had been used on the Who’s first American Tour…We changed our band name to Craze when we later signed to EMI (Cobra then Harvest labels)…we…recorded an album on EMI called CRAZE on which I used this guitar and the Rickenbacker 12-string.
According to an interview with Franck Cornelli and Gerry Lambe of The Skunks in 2002, Pete Townshend first met the band when they were supporting Billy Idol’s Generation X at the Vortex club in 1978. Townshend, accompanied by Keith Moon and Alex Harvey, went back stage after the gig and told the band he thought they were really good, and that he had enjoyed Cornelli’s guitar work which reminded him of a young Ritchie Blackmore. He signed the band to his Eel Pie label shortly after seeing them.
Estimate: £15,000–20,000
Pete Townshend appears to have owned at least two Coral Hornet guitars. One, a sunburst model, he smashed on stage at the Marquee Club on 23rd April, 1968 as well as a Gibson Stereo he was also using on that occasion.
Photographs taken by Chris Morphet of Townshend in his studio at Twickenham, circa 1971, show a Coral Hornet on the wall which, although in black and white, reveal that there is no graduation of shade in the finish — i.e. it is not a sunburst version, and could well be guitar in this lot.
For more information, see christies.com.
23 April, 1968, on stage at the Marquee, London, with the Coral Hornet.
Ca. 1970, home studio, Twickenham, with the Coral Hornet hung on the wall at left. (Guitar at right is Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string.) Photo: Chris Morphet
Ca. 1970, home studio, Twickenham, with the Coral Hornet hung on the wall at left. Photo: Chris Morphet
Ca. 1969, home studio, Twickenham, with the Coral Hornet leaning against the back wall to Pete’s right. Photo: Chris Morphet
Resources and Information
Acknowledgements
Coral information
- Vintage Guitar Info: provide.net/~cfh/dano.html