The 1987 Fender Jaguar (serial #E742640) owned, stage-used and studio-used by Mark Gardener of Ride as his first guitar with the band — used to record the entirety of every early Ride EP (Smile, the self-titled EP, Play, and The Fall) and the full-length debut album Nowhere (1990), subsequently used live and in the band’s first music videos including “Chelsea Girl” and “Like a Daydream,” and screen-matched to both of those videos. Purchased by Gardener on May 3, 1989 from Roka’s Musical Instruments, 5 Denmark Street, London, with a student grant. Accompanied by the original purchase receipt (dated 3/5/89), a signed Letter of Authenticity from Mark Gardener (dated September 15, 2023), and the original road case.
Video Documentation
Screen-Match
This guitar is screen-matched to the official music videos for “Chelsea Girl” and “Like a Daydream” through the sunburst finish, tortoiseshell pickguard, and specific wear characteristics, corroborated directly by Mark Gardener’s signed letter of authenticity in which he confirms this instrument was used in both videos. A dedicated screen-match graphic is included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing.
Ride formed in Oxford in 1988 and became one of the defining acts of the shoegaze movement alongside My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and Lush. Signed to Creation Records, they released a series of critically acclaimed EPs — Smile (1990), Play (1990), Fall (1990) — before their debut album Nowhere (1990), which is widely considered one of the essential records of its era. Their sound — dense, layered guitar textures, feedback, and melodic singing buried in reverb and distortion — established the sonic template that defined shoegaze.
Mark Gardener is one of Ride’s two founding guitarists and co-vocalists (alongside Andy Bell), and his guitar work is central to the band’s identity. The Fender Jaguar — with its short-scale neck, floating tremolo, and complex circuit switching — became closely associated with the shoegaze aesthetic, and this instrument is the first Gardener played in the band: the guitar on which Ride’s most foundational recordings were made.
This instrument is a Fender Japan production — manufactured at the Fujigen factory during the period when Fender’s Japanese operation was producing some of the most faithful and well-regarded reissues of vintage Fender models. Fender Japan’s “E” prefix serial system with six following digits covers 1984[x=#8211/]1987, with the digit immediately after “E” (7 in this case) corresponding to 1987 — confirmed by the “Made in Japan” stamp on the neck heel and consistent with the guitar’s construction details. Gardener purchased it new two years later in 1989, making it a recent-production instrument at the time of acquisition.
Recording & Performance Use
Per Gardener’s signed letter of authenticity (September 15, 2023):
“The purpose of this document is to serve as authentication of my 1987 Fender Jaguar, serial # E742640. This was purchased by me from Roka’s on 3 May, 1989. I then used it to record the entirety of every Ride EP from ‘Smile’, ‘self titled EP’, ‘Play’, ‘The Fall’, and full length album, ‘Nowhere’. It was subsequently used live at most gigs to promote the aforementioned releases, and also the first Ride videos, including ‘Chelsea Girl’ and ‘Like a Daydream’. I have included the original receipt from Roka’s from the date I purchased it with a student grant. It includes the original road case, though I also used this same case for when I toured with my blue Fender Jaguar. I have additionally signed the reverse of the headstock. This was the very first guitar that I used in Ride, and it has seen hours of play time in the studio and on the road. I sold this guitar to Eric Foust.”
Specifications
· Manufacturer: Fender Musical Instruments (Made in Japan, Fujigen factory)
· Model: Jaguar
· Year: 1987 (Fender Japan E-prefix serial; “E7” = 1987)
· Serial: E742640
· Scale: 24″ short scale
· Body: Offset solid body (alder or basswood); two-tone sunburst finish (brown-to-orange fade with black edges); significant wear at edges, lower bout, and back with paint loss and chipping revealing wood
· Neck: Bolt-on maple with rosewood fretboard; 22 frets; pearloid dot inlays; C-profile
· Headstock: Fender “Jaguar” spaghetti logo with “Made in Japan” stamp; serial E742640; signed by Mark Gardener on reverse
· Pickups: Two single-coil Jaguar pickups with chrome covers and staggered pole pieces
· Pickguard: Tortoiseshell (celluloid) with chrome control plates
· Controls: Rhythm circuit (three-way toggle: neck/bridge/both; individual on/off switches per pickup; white plate); lead circuit on tortoiseshell pickguard; chrome “hat” knobs; side-mounted input jack
· Hardware: Chrome bridge with adjustable saddles; floating vibrato tailpiece (non-locking); standard tuners
· Case markings: “JAG” and “RIDE” stenciled on exterior; Rock-it Cargo label; international freight labels (Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Cargo, Beijing Aviation Ground Services)
Condition
Good — heavy but honest wear consistent with extensive studio, touring, and video production use from 1989 into the early 1990s. The sunburst body shows significant paint loss and chipping at all edges and throughout the back, with raw wood exposed at the lower bout, upper bout, and numerous points around the perimeter. The tortoiseshell pickguard is intact. The neck and fretboard show wear consistent with active professional use. All hardware is present. The guitar is signed by Gardener on the reverse of the headstock.
Included Items
Original road case (black exterior with silver-tone aluminum edging; stenciled “JAG” and “RIDE” on exterior; Rock-it Cargo touring label reading “RIDE” with weight: 12 kg and dimensions: 109 x 44 x 11 cm; note field reading “Blue JAG” — confirming Gardener’s LOA statement that this case was also used for his blue Jaguar during later touring; additional touring freight labels from international routing including Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Cargo, and Beijing Aviation Ground Services, documenting transit through Singapore, London, Barcelona, and China).
Original purchase receipt from Roka’s Musical Instruments, 5 Denmark Street, London WC2 H8LP (dated 3/5/89): “Fender Jaguar (Serial No. E 742640) + Bag — £399.00; Less: Deposit (Cash) £250.00; Balance £149.00, Balance Paid in Cash 3/5/89.” Made out to M. Gardener.
Signed Letter of Authenticity from Mark Gardener (dated September 15, 2023).
Contemporary vinyl album sleeve (used) for Nowhere (Ride, 1990). 3 photos.
Provenance
Purchased by Mark Gardener from Roka’s Musical Instruments, 5 Denmark Street, London, May 3, 1989. Subsequently sold by Gardener to Eric Foust (as documented in the LOA). Sold as Lot 235 in Omega Auctions’ “Showcase Sale — Guitars, Music Memorabilia and Rare Vinyl Records” (November 28, 2023). Per the Omega catalog entry: “A 1987 Fender Jaguar electric guitar (serial #E742640) owned, used and played by Mark Gardener of Ride. As per extensive and detailed history provided by Mark on the accompanying COA, this guitar was used to record Ride EPs from Smile to the LP ‘Nowhere’ as well as Ride videos ‘Chelsea Girl’ and ‘Like a Daydream’.”
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
This lot will be accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with the official Nostalgia Bandit embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for this lot in full, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details as presented herein. It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
» Guitar: 40.5 x 15 x 2.5″ · 7.94 lbs.
» Case: 43 x 16.75 x 5″ · 19.18 lbs.
