A white Ovation Breadwinner electric guitar (serial #E 4228, manufactured circa 1974) owned and used by principal members of Siouxsie and the Banshees from 1979 through the mid-1980s in studio recordings, promo photos, and in the official music video for “Candyman” (1986), as well as by Robert Smith in his audition for the band as their touring guitarist on the Join Hands tour. Purchased by the band in the immediate aftermath of the departure of John McKay and Kenny Morris, used for the subsequent guitarist auditions, and subsequently used on multiple studio recordings by both Steven Severin and Siouxsie Sioux. The guitar is additionally documented on the cover of International Musician & Recording World (April 1986, Vol. 12, No. 5) and Guitarist magazine (Vol. 2, No. 12, May 1986) in the hands of John Carruthers, who is also seen playing it throughout the music video for “Candyman.” Accompanied by a handwritten letter of authenticity from Steven Severin providing a first-person account of the guitar’s acquisition and full history within the band.
Video Documentation
Historical Context
Siouxsie and the Banshees formed in London in 1976 and became one of the most enduring acts of the post-punk era — releasing eleven studio albums between 1978 and 1995 and maintaining a consistent critical and commercial presence across two decades. The band’s guitar chair was occupied by a succession of distinctive players: John McKay, John McGeoch, Robert Smith, John Carruthers, and others — each leaving a mark on the band’s evolving sound. This Breadwinner spans nearly the full breadth of that history, from the night McKay left the band in 1979 through its documented use with Carruthers in 1986.
The Ovation Breadwinner, produced by Ovation Instruments of New Hartford, Connecticut from approximately 1971 to 1980, was among the first solid-body electric guitars built by Ovation — a company primarily known for acoustic instruments. Its deeply asymmetric body design, bolt-on neck, and dual-humbucker configuration made it both visually distinctive and tonically versatile. Steven Severin has described choosing this specific model because he saw Colin Newman of Wire playing one and considered it the best-looking guitar he had ever seen — a provenance that connects the instrument directly to the post-punk art-guitar aesthetic that shaped the Banshees’ visual identity.
Stage & Recording Use
Per Steven Severin’s handwritten letter (February 5, 2003): the guitar was purchased by the band in 1979 after the night John McKay and Kenny Morris abruptly departed, when Siouxsie gave McKay’s own guitar to a fan on the spot. The Breadwinner was acquired to have an instrument available for the auditions that followed. Robert Smith, guesting as the band’s temporary guitarist, liked it enough to request a black version as his own “present” for completing the rest of the Join Hands tour. The Breadwinner subsequently became, in Severin’s words, “the band’s guitar” — used on multiple B-sides by both Severin and Siouxsie. The Ovation Breadwinner became closely associated with the Siouxsie and the Banshees visual identity during this period — Robert Smith is documented playing a black Breadwinner in televised performances and promotional footage from his time with the band, a direct consequence of his experience with this white example during the Join Hands tour. By the mid-1980s, John Carruthers was playing it on stage and in productions during the Tinderbox era, including the “Candyman” music video and its documented appearances in the music press.
Cover Photo & Video Documentation
The guitar is visible on the cover of International Musician & Recording World (April 1986, Vol. 12, No. 5) — the Siouxsie and the Banshees cover feature “Back In Black” — where John Carruthers holds the white Breadwinner prominently in the cover photograph alongside Siouxsie Sioux and Steven Severin.
The guitar appears throughout the official music video for “Candyman” (1986) — the third single from Tinderbox, Siouxsie and the Banshees’ eighth studio album. Released in April 1986, Tinderbox marked the continuation of the band’s commercial peak, and “Candyman” was among its most prominent singles. John Carruthers plays this white Breadwinner throughout the video, making it one of the most direct and sustained filmed records of the instrument in active Banshees use available on a widely distributed commercial release. The video has remained in circulation as part of the band’s official catalog and constitutes documented visual confirmation of the guitar’s presence in the band’s productions during Carruthers’ tenure — a filmed counterpart to the magazine cover documentation from the same period.
The original issue of Guitarist magazine (Vol. 2, No. 12, May 1986) — included with this lot — additionally features an interior photo of Carruthers with this guitar, along with a track-by-track interview on Tinderbox in which he discusses his guitar approach during that touring and recording period.
Specifications
· Manufacturer: Ovation Instruments, New Hartford, Connecticut — Made in U.S.A.
· Model: Breadwinner (Model 1251)
· Serial: E 4228 — early production; E-prefix Breadwinner serials place manufacture circa 1972[x=#8211/]1974
· White/cream textured “spackle” finish throughout
· Asymmetric solid body with bolt-on mahogany neck
· Scale: 24¾”; 24 frets (two full octaves)
· Ebony fingerboard with dot inlays
· Pickups: Dual chrome-covered humbucker-style pickups
· Controls: 3-way pickup selector (neck / both out-of-phase / bridge); master volume; tone control with mid-cut/boost characteristics
· Electronics: Active FET preamp with 9V battery
· Bridge: Brass with adjustable saddles
· Output jack: Lower bout
· Tuners: Six-in-line chrome
· Headstock: White/cream with Ovation logo
· Neck plate serial: E 4228 with Ovation sitting-figure logo
· Ovation Instruments embossed badge on body reverse: “OVATION INSTRUMENTS / NEW HARTFORD, CONN. / MADE IN U.S.A.”
· The instrument exhibits wear consistent with extended professional studio, live, and production use spanning multiple decades
Condition
Consistent with extended professional use. Surface wear throughout, consistent with age and use across more than two decades of active service with the band. Electronics present. Original case included in heavily worn condition consistent with touring use.
Included Items
Original Ovation hard case — brown leather exterior with Ovation logo badge; brown/burgundy velvet interior with significant wear and staining consistent with decades of active use.
Original issue of Guitarist magazine (Vol. 2, No. 12, May 1986) featuring interior photo documentation of this guitar.
Original issue of International Musician & Recording World (April 1986, Vol. 12, No. 5) featuring Carruthers and the band on the cover, the Breadwinner clearly visible.
1 photo.
Provenance
Accompanied by a handwritten letter of authenticity from Steven Severin (February 5, 2003), addressed to the first private buyer, providing a full first-person account of the guitar’s acquisition and history within the band:
“This guitar was bought by the band back in 1979. I saw Colin Newman from Wire playing one and thought it was the best looking guitar ever. The night that John McKay + Kenny Morris left the band Siouxsie gave away John’s guitar to a fan. So we needed something for the auditions. Robert liked it so much he asked for a black version as his ‘present’ for guesting on guitar for the rest of the ‘Join Hands’ tour. Subsequently it became the band’s ‘guitar’ and has been used on many b-sides by either myself or Siouxsie.”
— Steven Severin, February 5, 2003
Sold as Lot 451 at the Omega Showcase Sale — Guitars, Music Memorabilia and Rare Vinyl Records (Omega Auctions, July 4, 2023), cataloged as “SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES — OVATION GUITAR PLAYED BY ROBERT SMITH.”
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
» Item: 40 x 14.5 x 3.0″ · 8.7 lbs.
» Case: 42.5 x 17.5 x 5.0″ · 8.88 lbs.
