Guitar owned by The Who's Pete Townshend sells at Wiltshire auction

The 1989 Takamine FP-360SC electro-acoustic guitar was sold at auction in Wiltshire

A guitar owned by The Who rocker Pete Townshend has sold for £7,200 at action.

The 1989 Takamine FP-360SC electro-acoustic guitar went under the hammer at Gardiner Houlgate auction house in Wiltshire on Wednesday.

The guitar is thought to have been used on stage during The Who's 1989 25th anniversary tour.

It was brought to auction by an anonymous seller who inherited from a friend of Mr Townshend.

The Who star donated the guitar to a friend known only as Robert in the 1990s and it sold for significantly less than it's valuation of £20,000.

The guitar was given to Robert after a break in at his flat, where he had several possessions stolen, including his guitar.

Mr Townshend gifted his guitar to Robert, knowing he couldn't afford to replace the guitar himself and it was inherited by the anonymous seller after Robert's death in 2014.

Pete Townshend's guitar sold for £7,200

Having heard Robert's story, the seller contacted Mr Townshend in 2018 and received a response, confirming the musician had given the guitar to Robert, who he remembered as "a sweet man".

Mr Townshend, the band's principal songwriter and guitarist, also signed an email to authenticate the story.

The seller said although it was hard to let go of such a sentimental guitar, he wanted it to be enjoyed by a fan rather than kept in a case.

Scoring hits with rock classics such as My Generation and Pinball Wizard, The Who formed in 1964 and went on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide.