LONDON, November 21. /TASS/. Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler has put more than 120 guitars and amplifiers from his collection up for sale at Christie’s in London, the auction house announced.

"Renowned for his distinct and virtuoso finger-picking style, Mark chose each instrument for its individual sound and tone, assembling a wide-ranging archive that includes iconic and world-famous names such as Gibson, Fender and Martin alongside custom-built models by Rudy Pensa and John Suhr, and bespoke examples crafted by luthiers from across the globe," Christie’s said in a statement.

According to the auction house, the collection of the legendary musician, winner of a Grammy in 1986 for the song "Money for Nothing," spans Knopfler's 50-year career and includes the wide variety of instruments he used to write, record and perform the extensive catalog of Dire Straits compositions, and as well as numerous successful solo albums and film soundtracks.

"Wherever I go I’m still crossing streets to look at guitars in the windows of music shops. I’ve done that since I was a little kid. I’ve lived with this love affair for over sixty years. That has meant a passion for all kinds of guitars," Knopfler said as quoted by the auction house. According to him, time has come "to take some of these treasured six-string companions out of their cases and leave them in the care of Christie’s to allow them to have new adventures with new owners."

Twenty-five percent of the total hammer price will be divided equally and donated to The British Red Cross, Tusk and Brave Hearts of the North East, Christie’s said.

About Dire Straits

Dire Straits was founded in 1977 in London by guitarist brothers - Mark Knopfler, who also acted as the band’s lead singer, and David Knopfler. They were joined by bass guitarist John Illsley and drummer Pick Withers. Dire Straits became one of the most commercially successful bands in rock music history with over 120 million copies of their albums sold worldwide. Mark Knopfler officially disbanded Dire Straits in 1995. The band was inducted into in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2017.