INSTRUMENTS from a North-East music store that traded for nearly 100 years came under the hammer at an auction yesterday.

About 300 musicians, collectors and dealers gathered at Lithgow Sons and Partners' auction house in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, for the sale of instruments and accessories.

The mainly denim-clad crowd of about 300 "musos" filled the room to snap up bargains created by the collapse of piedog.com, an ill-fated internet venture supplied mainly by the Williams Music Group.

The sale heralded the final chapter in the long history of the much-loved, family-run group.

Williams was founded in 1910, when musician and amateur conductor George Williams started selling pianos off the back of a horse-drawn cart.

A flagship store in Darlington followed, as well as a further eight branches across the North and franchises in Nottingham, Poole, Exeter, Brighton and Stratford.

The group went into administration earlier this year, signalling the end of an era for thousands of musicians who regularly made a pilgrimage to its stores to buy everything from electric organs to sheet music.

Among the 600 lots to come under auctioneer Philip Walker's gavel at yesterday's auction were dozens of electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers, keyboards, drum machines, harmonicas and countless accessories, including guitar and banjo strings, guitar cases and drumsticks.

Among the top sellers were an Ibanez guitar which made 460, a left-hand Telecaster Fender that sold for 400 and two drum systems that went for 650 each.

Mr Walker said: "Things went very well. We've had a very good attendance for this type of sale.

"I expected it to be kind of an emotive thing. These things bring out people who would not normally go to sales.

"We've had percussionists, guitar players, band members and people from school music departments."

Among those who was happy with his lot was Nicky Caine, from Masham.

Mr Caine, who used to play professionally in bands in his native Liverpool, is now a guitar collector and dealer.

He said: "I came mainly for the Gibson Les Paul standards and I managed to get one, so I am pleased with that. I also bought a couple of acoustics."

He added: "Most of the big sales like this are in London, so it's nice to be able to come to one that is local.

"The only problem is the VAT, because everything is new."

At the other end of the scale, 18-year-old Tom Wood, from Bishop Auckland, had plucked two guitars from the sale.

Tom, who described himself as a singer/songwriter, also snapped up a home recording system.

"I've managed to get a few bargains," he said.

Mr Walker said the sale had raised a total of more than 35,000.

He said a further sale was expected soon, after the liquidator, Robson Laidler, of Newcastle, released more of Piedog's stock.