When she was called by a grovelling Liam Gallagher apologising, Lynne Brine wondered what on earth was going on.
"Hi, it's Liam Gallagher here, there's been a bit of an incident at Abbey Road," said the voice on the other end of the line.
The Oasis circus was at its 1990s peak and her teenage son was part of the band's inner circle as an engineer for their third album - as Mrs Brine thought "what has happened to my boy?".
It turned out a furious Liam had smashed up the guitar she gave to her son Nick, thinking it belonged to Liam's brother and bandmate Noel.
Nick's compensation was something money can't buy and a piece of rock'n'roll memorabilia - a guitar Noel used to create Oasis anthems like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger.
"It was the morning after a heavy night and Liam was worse for wear," recalls Nick, who was at Abbey Road as a studio engineer on their third album Be Here Now.
"Noel had said something about him in the papers and Liam kicked off. I'm in Abbey Road's famous Studio Two setting up equipment and hungover myself, then looking up I saw a guitar come flying over from the control room.
"It was Noel's Fender Jag and it smashed to bits. I run to the control room and Liam also made a big dent in Abbey Road's mixing desk."
Nick had worked with the Gallagher brothers previously on their hit record (What's The Story) Morning Glory and had seen flashpoints like this before, so he just left Liam alone.
"Then I see another acoustic guitar flying over the top and in a thousand pieces on the floor - and realise that's my guitar," Nick added.
"I thought it best if I didn't say anything. Noel came in and said 'what the hell is going on?'. It kicked off.
"Noel saw his guitar smashed up, then points to my smashed guitar and says 'whose is that?' Liam replies 'that's your guitar too', to which Noel replied 'it ain't mine'."
It was Nick's £100 1970s Japanese Fender that was in pieces.
"I sheepishly put my hand up and said 'actually Liam, it's mine'
"Then there was a big argument about who was going to buy me a new one. I told them it's not valuable but it has quite sentimental value as my mum gave it to me."
Liam promised to take Nick to Denmark Street, an area of London famous for musical instrument shops, to buy "whatever guitar I wanted".
"Noel replied to Liam 'what the hell do you know about guitars?'," recalled Nick. "He said 'I'm going to get him a guitar'. There was another kick off about who was going to buy me a new one."
After giving his temperamental younger brother a telling-off, Noel insisted Oasis frontman Liam call Nick's mum Lynne, at home in south Wales, to apologise.
"It was like: 'Hello Mrs Brine, Liam Gallagher here, I'm ringing to apologise...', he told her what he'd done and was sorry.
"That typified Liam, angry one minute then angelic the next, I've always enjoyed his company."
The Oasis superstar then handed Nick a piece of history - a Takamine Acoustic, the guitar Noel used in their iconic Knebworth and MTV Unplugged concerts.
"Did I give it to you? No way," Noel said to Nick when the songwriter returned to Rockfield Studio in south Wales in 2020 for the 25th anniversary of (What's The Story) Morning Glory.
"I used it on this record, so that's the one I played Wonderwall on."
For comparison, last year an Epiphone Les Paul electric guitar used by Noel sold for £130,000 while a Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul sold for £226,000.
Nick has, in fact, had to insure the guitar as a piece of fine art and auction houses have estimated a starting guide price of £100,000 if Nick were ever to sell it.
"I was gobsmacked, I said 'it's OK, it's fine' but Noel insisted I take it," recalled Nick. "It more than made up for the smashed guitar, I couldn't believe it."
—Noel Gallagher gave me his Oasis Wonderwall guitar | Interview with Nick Brine | BBC News 14th June 2025
Lot 262. The Nick Brine Collection: 1970s Fender F-35 Acoustic Guitar Smashed by Liam Gallagher During Be Here Now Recording Sessions
[Propstore Auction October 23rd 2025]
It was Nick's £100 1970s Japanese Fender that was in pieces.
—BBC News 14th June 2025
A Fender F-35 acoustic guitar smashed by Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher during the recording of the band's third studio album, Be Here Now. This lot comes from the personal collection of renowned UK music producer and sound engineer Nick Brine.
This guitar played a significant role in the infamous story involving Brine and the Gallagher brothers at Abbey Road Studios in 1996. After a heavy night of drinking, Liam threw Noel's Fender Jag across the studio, having read something his older brother had said about him in the newspaper. He then threw a second guitar - this Fender F-35 acoustic - smashing it to bits, unaware that it in fact belonged to Brine. When Noel entered, he pointed out that the guitar wasn't his, and Brine claimed ownership, explaining it had been a gift from his mother. At Noel's insistence, Liam called Brine's mother and apologised to her over the phone. Noel then gave Brine the guitar on which he recorded Wonderwall (also offered in this auction: Lot 261) to replace the destroyed instrument.
The guitar is a 1970s Fender model F-35. The main body is made of plywood while the sides and rear are mahogany, as is the neck. The bridge is rosewood, and the turning pegs and capstans are metal. The Fender label adhered to the guitar's back wall inside the sound hole remains intact.
The damage caused by Liam has meant that the rear is totally detached from the main body, while there is significant splintering to the left of the sound hole and to the right of the pickguard. The guitar and its fractured parts are presented in a display case. Dimensions: 113 cm x 47 cm x 15 cm (44.5" x 18.5" x 6")
Additional Provenance:
This lot comes from the personal collection of producer and sound engineer Nick Brine. Beginning his career in 1996, Brine has worked in major studios and collaborated with iconic artists including Oasis, The Verve, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, The Stone Roses, Brian May / Roger Taylor (Queen), Nick Cave and many more. Brine now runs independent label Flip Flop Records, offering label services and helping artists progress in the music industry.
The first single from Estrella's second album, to be released on 24 November 2014.
Will be available on: iTunes, Amazon, Napster and many more online retailers.
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