Following on from yesterday's news that David Gilmour is auctioning off over 120 of his guitars at Christie's, New York, to raise money for charitable causes, he has been talking about the reasons behind his decision, and about the significance of the instruments.

First, he has been speaking to RollingStone.com about the auction. In the interview, he mentions that he'll still keep hold of around 20 guitars, but the process of getting rid of the bulk of them is something he has been intending to do for quite some time. The raising of a decent amount for charity is something key to the endeavour for him.

"These guitars have been very good to me," he told Rolling Stone. "They're my friends. They have given me lots of music. I just think it's time that they went off and served someone else. I have had my time with them. And of course the money that they will raise will do an enormous amount of good in the world, and that is my intention."

As Rolling Stone points out, the auction’s proceeds will benefit Gilmour's charitable foundation, which he's been running for decades. He said: "The money will be going to the larger needs of famine relief, homelessness and displacement of people throughout the world. We are going to work on the best way and the best balance of making what this raises do as much good on this planet as it can."

Read the whole interview here, and below is a video in which he talks about certain key instruments: