“Tubular Bells” and “Mike Oldfield” immediately evoke the iconic earworm that is the tune’s opening piano motif, which, on a broader pop culture level, is inextricably linked to William Friedkin’s 1973 horror film The Exorcist. So how exactly do guitars play a role in this story?
Well, Mike Oldfield, who recorded Tubular Bells at just 19, used only one guitar on it: a 1966 Fender Telecaster. Over fifty years later, this same guitar re-emerged in the public consciousness via none other than the BBC’s Antiques Roadshowwhich aired just last Sunday.
Having bought it at an auction years ago, the current owner spoke to antiques expert Marc Allum about this historic guitar and explained how it was owned not by one, but two, music legends.
“This was the guitar that Mike Oldfield used to record the electric guitar parts on Tubular Bells,” he said. “Mike put it up for auction for charity in 2009 and it failed to sell, but I got an old copy of the catalog and then contacted the charity direct, made them an offer and they thought about it for a few days and accepted it.”
“The other interesting thing was Mike got it from (T. Rex guitarist) Marc Bolan. So it’s had two very famous players own it.”
Allum was seemingly taken aback by the news of this guitar’s impressive lineage, describing it as an “absolutely incredible” find.
“I think what’s incredible about this guitar is that it was Marc Bolan’s before. That’s a sort of a double-whammy on a guitar like this isn’t it? It’s got history,” he replies.
The story goes that Bolan originally bought the Tele for T. Rex, but rarely ended up using it, with the guitar eventually ending up in the hands of Bolan’s management.
Eventually, it found its way to Oldfield, just when he was concocting the Tubular Bells concept. As an extension of his creativity, it underwent several modifications – including being stripped, having a Bill Lawrence pickup added in the middle position, and having the volume and tone controls repositioned.
The antiques expert noted that, without its ownership history, it would still be worth a significant amount, considering it’s a ’60s Fender Tele. “How do we put a price on it?” he pondered. “It’s really difficult.”
What’s more, the guest dropped a bombshell when he revealed that he originally paid under £10,000 (around $12,591) for the guitar – a figure far below the estimate Allum eventually gave: “I still think it’s worth a lot more than that and quite frankly I think if it were to come up to auction, I would put £20,000 to £30,000 ($25,204 to $37,807) on that guitar.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings