Heartbreakingly Obliterated Instruments From Past and Present

by flaunt

If Only That Pianist Had Bigger hands

1772 – Giovanni Guadagnini Violin

When all are one and one is all Fall like a rock and forget to roll And slide down the stairway on to heaven

Classical virtuoso David Garrett lost his footing on a wet staircase in 2007 and fell bodily upon his £1M violin, smashing it to pieces.

2001 – Steinway & Sons Custom Concert Grand

I should have changed that stupid lock
I should have made you leave my keys
If I had known for just one second you’d be ungluing them for me

The custom piano of the master pianist Krystian Zimmerman was taken apart and destroyed by TSA agents who thought that the glue smelt of explosives.

drums-2.jpg

1967  – Premiere Drum Kit

He rode a stool and carried sticks
His cherry bombs numbered five and six
Bang bang, he blew them up

Keith Moon of  The Who filled his drum kit with cherry bombs and detonated it live on television, permanently deafening Pete Townshend in one ear and causing Bette Davis to faint.

2004 – Ibanez Electric Guitars

It goes like this the fourth, the fifth,
the eighty second, and the hundred and sixth,
The baffled luthier composing instrument buillon

Muse guitarist Matt Bellamy set a world record by smashing 140 guitars in a single year on the Absolution tour.


Illustrated by Travis Farmen
Written by Gus Donohoo