UK Music fans will have the chance to own a piece of musical history tonight (August 26th), as Glasgow based charity ‘12 Guitars’ will be ‘eAuctioning’ a signed guitar from multi-record breaking artist Ed Sheeran.
The artist behind number one hits such as ‘Thinking Out Loud’, ‘Sing’ and ‘Shape of You’, has signed a Martin LX1E for the social enterprise, with all proceeds of the auction going towards free guitar lessons for teens and children across Scotland.
The launch party for 12 Guitars, set up by musical enthusiasts and Glaswegian businessmen, Gerry Thorogood and Steve Plummer, will be taking place on Saturday 24th of August at the Glasgow Caring City Warehouse in Govan. The signed guitar and photograph of the signing by Ed Sheeran will also be on display during the celebration for those wishing to view it.
The live auction will be hosted for free by eSourcing platform www.Marketdojo.com which was chosen by 12 Guitars co-founder, Gerry Thorogood, due to his previous experience with the tool.
“I have used Market Dojo for several years during my time in procurement and thought it would be the perfect tool for what we are looking to do. Its ease of use and the company’s professionalism towards support makes the participation for those looking to bid extremely easy.”
“The bidding process is open to anyone that wishes to participate and more information on how to take part will be available on our website www.12guitars.org.”
The guitar’s launch party on Monday 26th August will coincide with the last date of Ed’s record-breaking ‘Divide’ Tour, which will have seen more than 8.5 million people across 43 countries attend – making it the most attended tour of all time.
Money raised from the one-of-a-kind guitar auction will be going towards the 12 Guitars mobile recording studio, a revamped and fully customised double-decker London bus named ‘Number 12’. Featured inside the bus are practice studios, learning spaces and guitar tech studios aimed at helping young guitarists hone and practice their emerging talents.
12 Guitars co-found Thorogood:“We are combining our business experience and expertise with our love for guitars to make guitar playing accessible to all young people. This is especially relevant to Glasgow, given the City’s commitment as a Unesco City of Music, to make music accessible for all and to seize the opportunity to increase participation and access to music in Glasgow.”
“We are delighted to be collaborating with Market Dojo. The offer to provide their software and support for the auction free of charge is fantastic and enables us to expand our reach massively.”
Craig Knowles, Marketing Manager at www.Marketdojo.com adds:“We are honoured to be part of something so exciting; it’s a fantastic cause and when Gerry got in touch, we were only too pleased to offer our services as a company. 12 Guitars is a truly inspiring concept – they say music brings people together and Gerry and his team are doing just that by offering lessons and opportunities to those who wouldn’t potentially have the chance to express their musical creativity. The chance to own a signed guitar by Ed Sheeran is not something that comes about every day and who knows, maybe 12 Guitars can help to unearth the next Ed Sheeran.”
Image: Ed Sheeran