A 1957 Fender Musicmaster electric guitar played and screen-used by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth in the official music video for “100%” (1992). Screen-matched to the finished video and photo-matched to on-set production photography through its distinctive refinished teal body, cream pickguard, the characteristic wear patch on the pickguard face, and the period-correct hardware. The guitar was not transported to the shoot by the band; instead, Ranaldo selected it from the personal collection of the music video’s security consultant — a former police officer who offered Ranaldo his choice of instruments for the Venice, California production. Acquired directly from that individual. Includes hardshell case.
Video Documentation
Screen-Match & Photo-Match
This guitar is screen-matched to the “100%” music video and photo-matched to on-set photography from the production through multiple visually distinctive and individually identifying characteristics. The refinished teal body finish, cream pickguard, the prominent circular wear/stain patch on the face of the pickguard, the period hardware configuration, and the specific wear pattern across the body edges are all directly identifiable in both the finished video and in on-set magazine photography showing Lee Ranaldo playing the instrument alongside Kim Gordon and the full band during filming. The guitar’s distinctive appearance led to years of documentation on SonicYouth.com gear reference pages as the “mystery guitar” and “Lee’s weird blue Musicmaster” before its identity was publicly confirmed. Dedicated screen-match and photo-match graphics are included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing.
Two dedicated photo-match graphics are included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing.
Historical Context
“100%” was released as a single from Sonic Youth’s 1992 album Dirty and is widely understood to have been written in response to the murder of Joe Cole — a close friend of the band and American roadie for Black Flag and the Rollins Band — who was shot and killed in an armed robbery on December 19, 1991, outside the Venice Beach home he shared with Henry Rollins at 809 Brooks Avenue. Cole and Rollins had attended a Hole concert at the Whisky a Go Go and were returning home when two armed men approached them. Cole was shot in the face at close range. The murder remains unsolved. In the aftermath, Rick Rubin and Henry Rollins speculated that the house had been targeted for the robbery because Rubin had arrived at the address in a Rolls Royce just a few days earlier. Cole is further memorialized in the Sonic Youth song “JC,” also on Dirty, and appears in the band’s concert film 1991: The Year Punk Broke (1992).
Dirty (1992) was Sonic Youth’s major label debut on DGC Records and is considered one of the defining albums of the alternative rock era. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the UK Independent Albums chart.
The “100%” music video was directed by Tamara Davis, who was at the time dating Beastie Boys member Mike D (they married in 1993). Mike D loaned his own drum kit for use in the production, which the prior owner picked up from Mike D’s house in Silverlake. Kim Gordon, who needed a bass for the shoot, used a bass loaned by actor Keanu Reeves, who was best friends with the video’s producer. The video received its world premiere on MTV’s 120 Minutes on July 12, 1992 — and was subsequently banned from the network after Kim Gordon wore a bootleg Rolling Stones shirt with “Eat me” printed across the front, which MTV deemed too obscene for broadcast. Gordon later noted the irony: “It’s a bootleg Rolling Stones shirt — the big mouth — and it said ‘Eat me’ on it… they’ve obviously got, like, mostly naked women in their videos.”
The video carries additional cultural significance as the first directing credit for Spike Jonze. Jonze’s involvement came about directly through Kim Gordon: skateboarder Mark Gonzales — “The Gonz,” one of the most influential figures in the history of street skateboarding — had given Gordon a copy of Video Days (1991), the landmark Blind Skateboards video that Jonze had filmed and directed, after a show. Gordon showed it to Tamara Davis, who brought Jonze in to direct all of the black-and-white skateboarding footage. This was the same Gonzales whose influence on skate culture the footage was meant to evoke, and the footage features a then-unknown Jason Lee — at the time a professional skateboarder, later a celebrated actor — in one of his earliest on-screen appearances. Mike Watt also makes a cameo in the video. It was on the set of this production that Jonze met Sofia Coppola for the first time. Jonze later became one of the most acclaimed music video and film directors of his generation.
Music Video Use
The guitar was not transported to the shoot by Sonic Youth. The seller — a former police officer who served as the production’s security consultant — described the circumstances directly in the original eBay listing through which this guitar was sold in January 2022:
“This was used by Lee Renaldo when making the video for 100% in the early 90’s. The band didn’t want to travel with their instruments so I picked up Mike D’s drum set from his house in Silverlake (he was dating Tamra / director at that point), Keanu Reeves who was best friends with the video’s producer let them use his bass, and I told Lee some of the guitars I had and he picked this one.”
It is the guitar Ranaldo plays throughout the video.
Specifications
· Manufacturer: Fender Musical Instruments (Fullerton, California)
· Model: Musicmaster
· Year: 1957 (confirmed by headstock decal style, gold-anodized aluminum pickguard era, soft-V neck profile, and hardware; neck plate blank — no serial stamp visible)
· Body: Alder, short-scale slab double-cutaway (22.5″ scale); refinished in teal/turquoise over original Desert Sand (off-white) finish, with red primer visible at edges and heavy wear points; significant chipping and wear throughout
· Neck: Bolt-on one-piece maple with soft-V profile; maple fretboard with black dot inlays; Fender spaghetti logo with “MUSICMASTER” in quotes — correct for 1956-1958
· Tuners: Kluson-style with white plastic buttons; oxidation consistent with age
· Neck plate: Blank gold/anodized plate — no serial stamp visible
· Pickguard: Cream replacement (original 1957 pickguard would have been gold-anodized aluminum, standard on Musicmasters through 1958); characteristic circular wear/stain patch on face
· Pickup: Single angled single-coil in neck position with white cover
· Controls: Volume knob (black skirt with chrome pointer); tone knob; side-mounted output jack
· Bridge: Chrome top-loader 3-saddle style (strings load from top); saddles show corrosion and string wear; bridge cover absent
· Hardware: Significant age-consistent patina and oxidation throughout
Condition
Good — heavy but honest vintage wear throughout consistent with age, refinishing history, and professional use. The teal refinish over the original red finish shows extensive chipping, dings, and wear at the body edges and throughout, with the earlier red layer clearly visible at wear points. The pickguard shows significant wear and the distinctive circular patch visible in the screen-match. The bridge and hardware exhibit heavy patina and corrosion consistent with decades of use. The maple neck shows heavy checking and wear. The case shows wear consistent with its age.
Included Items
Hardshell case (brown exterior, red interior).
Sonic Youth 100% 10″ limited edition orange vinyl single (UK, 1992; DGCV 11, The David Geffen Company) — “strictly limited edition coloured vinyl concentric groove 10″” pressing, Made in England. Side A: “100%” (LP Version), “Crème Brûlée” (LP Version). Side B: “Genetic” (previously unreleased), “Hendrix Necro” (previously unreleased). Produced and recorded by Butch Vig with Sonic Youth. Original period pressing; not a reissue or Record Store Day release. 1 photo.
Provenance
Acquired directly from the former police officer who served as security consultant on the “100%” video production and provided the guitar to the shoot from his personal collection. The guitar was sold by the original owner via eBay auction in January 2022, at which time the first-person backstory was publicly documented for the first time, confirming the identity of what had previously been referenced on SonicYouth.com gear pages as “the mystery guitar” and “Lee’s weird blue Musicmaster.” The instrument’s identity is further documented in a 1992 Japanese Guitar Player magazine feature on Lee Ranaldo that includes a photograph of this guitar.
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: 38 x 12 x 3″ · 6.12 lbs.
» Case: 42 x 17 x 5″ · 6.92 lbs.
