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Portugal. The Man | John Gourley Hand-Painted & Screen-Matched Fender Player Plus Meteora HH (2022)
Currency:USD
Category:Memorabilia / Music Memorabilia
Start Price:100.00 USD
Estimated At:2,000.00 - 6,000.00 USD
CURRENT BID
0.00USD
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2026 Jun 06 @ 10:00 (UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST)
A Fender Player Plus Meteora HH electric guitar (serial #MX21236080) hand-painted by John Gourley of Portugal. The Man and featured as the hero instrument in the Fender "Player Plus Sessions" promotional film (2022) — a 17-minute artist documentary in which Gourley is shown creating the unique hand-painted artwork directly on this guitar on screen, providing one of the most definitive visual identifications possible for a music-related artifact. The documentary showcases Gourley using this guitar to perform "Feel It Still," "Sea of Air," and "Live In The Moment."
Video Documentation
[YouTube] "Fender Player Plus Sessions: A Live Performance and Conversation Featuring Portugal. The Man" (2022)
Historical Context
Portugal. The Man are an American rock band formed in Wasilla, Alaska in 2004, led by John Gourley (vocals, guitar) alongside Zachary Carothers (bass) and other collaborators. The band relocated to Portland, Oregon, where they developed an eclectic, prolific creative identity spanning indie rock, psychedelia, and pop. Their 2017 single "Feel It Still" achieved global commercial success, reaching number one in multiple countries and bringing the band widespread mainstream recognition.
Their 2022 album Chris Black Changed My Life continued their creative evolution and serves as the direct visual and thematic reference for the artwork Gourley applied to this guitar.
Fender's "Player Plus Sessions" is a branded artist documentary series presenting musicians performing and discussing their creative relationship with Fender instruments in a cinematic format. The Portugal. The Man episode — running approximately 17 minutes — is structured in three chapters: "Feel It Still," "Sea of Air," and "Live In The Moment." In the "Sea of Air" chapter, Gourley and Carothers discuss the Fender Meteora line specifically, and the film features extended close-up footage of this guitar as the primary featured instrument, including sequences showing Gourley actively painting it on screen. The "Feel It Still" chapter features live studio performance using three of Gourley's hand-painted Fender guitars. The entire production is filmed and lit to a high cinematic standard, and intercuts performance footage with the two artists speaking directly to camera about the creative process.
Documentary / Music Video Use
This guitar was used by John Gourley during the filming of the Fender "Player Plus Sessions" production in 2022. No additional documented live or public performance appearances of this specific instrument have been identified beyond the film itself, though its use in the production — as both a performance instrument and the subject of Gourley's on-camera painting — makes it the most prominently featured guitar in the series. In the film, Gourley explains his practice of painting on his guitars: "I've always drawn on my guitars — you need to make it yours. My ADD manifests itself in this way that is I need to be distracted by something and also, like, my stage fright. The more that's on this [gesturing to the guitar] the more it will attract the attention from this [gesturing to his face] to this [gesturing back to the guitar]."
Screen-Match
This guitar is definitively screen-matched to the Fender "Player Plus Sessions" film through its entirely unique, one-of-a-kind hand-painted artwork, which is visually identical across the film and the instrument as currently preserved. Because the artwork was created by Gourley directly on this specific guitar during filming — and is shown being created on camera — the correspondence between the filmed instrument and the object offered here is absolute. No two guitars in the production carry the same artwork, and the specific imagery, text, colors, and compositions on this instrument are identifiable throughout multiple chapters of the film. A dedicated screen-match graphic is included in the photographic documentation accompanying this listing.
Artwork Description
The guitar body carries extensive hand-applied artwork by John Gourley executed in paint and marker across the black body finish, incorporating a large pink painted area on the lower bout with heavy black and blue rendering. Legible text and imagery throughout the body includes:
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
"THE LORDS OF RIPCITY" / "IT'S GRIM UP NORTH" / "BUTTER" / "ROY CHOI MY HERO" / "WOW" / "WHAT, ME WORRY?" / "ANTI HERO" / "SMOKY" / "ALASKA" / "OREGON" / "503x907" [Portland area code and area code serving all of Alaska] / "THANK YHOU MR POSTMAN" / "WORK SUCKS" / "I LOVE YOU FRANCES" / "BOYLIFE" / "YOU KNOW" / "JOIN THE KLF" / "STOLEN LAND"
· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
— alongside lightning bolt letterforms, stars, teardrop shapes, abstract figures, and additional drawn elements throughout.
The artwork's visual language — including the specific pink, white, and black color palette, graffiti-style hand lettering, and overall graphic sensibility — corresponds directly to the visual identity of Portugal. The Man's 2022 album Chris Black Changed My Life, whose cover and sleeve artwork employ the same fonts, colors, and aesthetic. The guitar is effectively a three-dimensional expression of the album's visual world, painted by the same hand that created that imagery. An original vinyl copy sleeve of Chris Black Changed My Life is included with this lot, allowing direct comparison between the album artwork and the guitar.
Specifications
· Manufacturer: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
· Model: Player Plus Meteora HH
· Serial Number: MX21236080 (Mexican manufacture, 2021)
· Body: Alder, offset double-cutaway Meteora profile, Solid Body
· Finish: Silverburst (factory); hand-painted artwork by John Gourley applied over factory finish
· Pickups: HH (dual Player Plus humbuckers)
· Bridge/Tailpiece: Tremolo bridge
· Neck: Maple, bolt-on construction
· Fretboard: Maple, 12" radius
· Nut Width: 1.685"
· Scale Length: 25.5"
· Frets: 22
· Series: Fender Player Plus
Condition
The guitar is in great playable condition. The hand-painted artwork covers the majority of the body and is fully intact. Light handling wear consistent with use during the film production. The original Fender soft gig case shows light use; two pieces of gaffer tape on the exterior bear handwritten identifiers including the serial number, model designation, and the notation "Has John's one of a kind art work." A third gaffer tape label on the top of the case reads "Meteora SB / MX21236080" and additional partially legible notation. Original case candy is included.
Provenance
Acquired from The Official Portugal. The Man Reverb Store. The original Reverb listing confirmed the guitar as owned by Portugal. The Man and used in the "Fender Player Plus Sessions" production.
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity bearing the Portugal. The Man logo, dated August 16, 2023. The COA states: "This document certifies that this instrument was a part of the Portugal. The Man collection." The Model field is handwritten as "Customized Fender Player Plus Meteora HH" and the Serial Number field is handwritten as "MX21236." John Gourley's signature appears over the "Portugal. The Man" field. The COA bears the notation "Sold on Reverb."
Included Items
Original Fender soft gig case with gaffer tape identifiers as described above; original case candy; original vinyl copy sleeve of Portugal. The Man's Chris Black Changed My Life (2022).
Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
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Shipping & Measurements
FIRST AND THIRD PARTY SHIPPING OPTIONS AVAILABLE. Contact Nostalgia Bandit for a shipping quote: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com
» Item: 41 x 14 x 2.5" · 8.62 lbs.
» Case: 43 x 17 x 3" · 2.36 lbs.
Auction Location:
14545 W Grand Ave STE 106 PMB 101, Surprise, Arizona, 85374, United States
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| AZ |
8.35% |
Arizona State Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
25% |
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