EKO MUSIC GROUP, RECANATI, ITALY, CIRCA 1968

Gifted to Mark Knopfler by bassist Glenn Worf not long after the band had concluded recording for Knopfler’s fourth solo studio album Shangri-La in March 2004, this Eko 500 was kept for home use. Mark had acquired an ivory Eko 500 during the sessions at Shangri-La Studios, so no doubt Worf anticipated that the red sparkle would make a fine pair. Speaking to Guitarist magazine in 2021, Knopfler proclaimed 'Loving guitars means you’ve got to love the cheap ones as well.' Elaborating on this all-encompassing passion for the instruments, Knopfler told us: 'It’s not just about the Gibsons and Fenders, but you get this whole thing about Burns guitars, about Eko guitars. These are magic words to me. It’s like a Lord’s Prayer. These are some of the finest words in the English language.' See footnotes to lots 50 and 51.