What are the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction? Just how much exactly would someone be willing to pay for a piece of music history?
You’ll find a list of the full 45most valuable guitars in this article, with a little bit of background information on each model.
Vintage guitars can be great investments, but if you are lucky enough to own one with a legendary artist’s DNA splashed all over it that’s when the value can really start to skyrocket!
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Nirvana’s 1994 ‘MTV Unplugged’ performance has got to be one of the most iconic live sets of all time, from one of the most legendary bands of all time.
So it seems unsurprising to find that the Martin acoustic used by Kurt Cobain has recently become the most expensive guitar ever sold!
Fun Fact! The green cardigan worn by Cobain during the MTV Unplugged performance became the world’s most expensive cardigan after selling for $334, 000!
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Proving that the legendary Nirvana frontman’s appeal is still as strong as ever, Kurt Cobain also holds the title for most expensive electric guitar ever sold!
This iconic lake placid blue Fender Mustang was the very guitar used in the music video for Nirvana’s biggest track – Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Until Kurt Cobain’s Mustang came up for sale, the legendary black Fender Stratocaster once owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour held the title of the world’s most expensive electric guitar.
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This was the crown jewel in a large auction of 126 of Gilmour’s personal guitars, with the proceeds going to fight against climate change.
Famously played by Eddie Van Halen in the ‘Hot For Teacher’ music video, this iconic axe was custom-made by luthier Paul Unkert of Kramer guitars.
It became one of Eddie’s main instruments from 1983-1984. He continued to play the guitar until he gifted it to the band’s drum tech upon his retirement in 1990.
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When the hammer finally fell at auction in April 2023, Eddie’s status as one of the best shred guitarists of all time helped to secure an incredible final price of $3, 932, 000.
The ‘Reach Out to Asia’ Fender Stratocaster was sold in order to raise money to help the victims of the 2004 tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean.
I was unable to locate a color photo of this guitar, so the image above is a mock-up based on what sources I could find.
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When the hammer fell, the bidding had reached the dizzying figure of $2.7 million, with the winning bidder being the heir to the throne of Qatar.
This acoustic was one of a pair of identical guitars purchased at the same time by John Lennon and George Harrison in 1962.
However, it was rediscovered more than 50 years later after the owner at the time recognized the similarities between the parts of the guitar and Lennon’s!
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Despite having an estimate of $800, 000 at auction, the guitar smashed this figure and was finally sold for $2.41 million in November 2015.
When he returned it to Irwin for repairs after it was dropped on stage, Doug incorporated the wolf design into the body of the guitar.
This 1957 Fender Stratocaster was used in the recording of Pink Floyd’s 1979 masterpiece ‘The Wall’. Most famously, you can hear it in the rhythm guitar parts on ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’.
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This particular guitar is believed to have been a pre-production model that Leo Fender originally gifted to country player Rex Gallion before it found its way into David Gilmour’s hands in the late 1970s.
The guitar was sold as part of a lot of 120 of David’s most famous axes in 2019 and fetched an incredible $1, 815, 000.
Duane Allman played this beautiful ’57 Gibson Les Paul gold top extensively during his first year and a half as a member of the Allman Brothers Band.
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The iconic guitar was displayed in the Allman Brother Band Museum in Georgia before selling to its new owner for a cool $1, 250, 000 at an auction in 2019.
Only around 10 of these incredibly rare guitars were ever made, so it is super rare for one to become available for sale.
They are considered as being the most desirable and iconic of all vintage guitars. A previous example sold in 2006 for $611, 000.
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This particular model was acquired in September 2016 for a whopping $1, 100, 000. So roughly a 10% increase in value per year – not a bad investment at all!
One of very few acoustics ever to have surpassed $1, 000, 000 at auction. David Gilmour claimed that this Martin 1969 D-35 was his favorite of all of the guitars he owned.
The instrument was his main recording and writing guitar throughout his career and was famously used for the writing of Pink Floyd’s 1973 masterpiece ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’.
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It was traded into a London guitar store where it later found its way into the hands of a certain Mr. Keith Richards.
I could not find a suitable image of this guitar in the same style as the others, but the guitar shown above is broadly similar. A quick Google image search will show you Keith using the actual guitar if interested.
It was Keith’s go-to guitar during the early years of the Rolling Stones, and was also used by other legendary players such as Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.
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The guitar clearly has a rich history, and was even stolen at one point in 1971 and presumed lost. Miraculously the guitar resurfaced and was able to be auctioned off in 2003.
He was famously booed on stage by his fans for using this guitar as they were used to acoustic versions of his songs.
After accidentally being left in the back of a plane, the guitar spent 40 years untouched in a loft until it was rediscovered by a television history show in 2012.
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In 1970 Eric Clapton purchased six 1950s Stratocasters and gave one to each of Pete Townshend, George Harrison, and bandmate Steve Winwood.
The guitar was sold in 2004 as part of a charity auction with the proceeds going to Clapton’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation foundation the Crossroads Center.
The winning bidder was music retailer Guitar Center who purchased it for $959, 500. At the time, this was the most expensive guitar ever sold.
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However, after a lengthy legal battle with the remaining members of the Grateful Dead, it was agreed that Irwin should receive only two guitars – Tiger and Wolf.
This guitar was Garcia’s go-to axe from 1979 until 1989 when Irwin built him a new instrument. It was an unusually heavy guitar, weighing in at a whopping 13.5 pounds (6.1kg).
It is largely known as the ‘Cream guitar’, as during his time with the band one of his roadies painted the word in large letters on the side of its hard case.
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This semi-hollow formed part of a charity auction along with Eric’s Strat ‘Blackie’ above, with the proceeds going to the Crossroads Center.
In 1992 Clapton used this guitar to record arguably his most beloved track – “Tears in Heaven”. He also used it to perform his famous ‘MTV Unplugged’ session.
Pre-war Martins are very desirable guitars even without Clapton’s DNA on them, with regular 1930s 000-42s going for as much as $50, 000.
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This iconic Martin was sold in June 2004 at Christie’s Auction House for $791, 500, making it the third most expensive acoustic guitar ever.
He was so moved by the gift that he stayed up all night to write ‘Lenny’ and then played the song for her the next morning.
It was sold in June 2004 at Christie’s Auction House for $623, 500, absolutely obliterating its initial estimate of just $15k – $20k.
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He learned his first chords on it and used it to impress John Lennon when he first joined The Quarrymen in 1957.
It was owned by Paul’s school buddy Ian James, who decided to sell the guitar in order to help fund his retirement.
This 1961/1962 Gibson SG once belonged to Duane Allman who most notably played it on the live recording of ‘Statesboro Blues’ from the band’s ‘At Fillmore East’ album.
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The instrument originally featured a sideways Gibson Vibrola tremolo, but was replaced by a stop bar by the time it came into Duane’s posession.
Althought it didn’t fetch as much as Duane’s 1957 Les Paul at auction, the iconic SG eventually sold for a still impressive $591, 000.
This 1965 Fender Stratocaster was famously set on fire with lighter fluid by Jimi Hendrix whilst on stage at the Astoria in London in 1967.
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Harrison gave the guitar to Pete Ham of Badfinger, and after his death, it was stored away by Pete’s brother for almost three decades before being rediscovered.
The guitar far surpassed its initial estimate of between $150, 000-$250, 000 and ended up selling in April 2009 for over half a million dollars!
This 12-string acoustic was most notably used in the writing and recording of the opening riff from Pink Floyd epic ‘Wish You Were Here’.
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The guitar became his main 12-string for writing and studio work when he acquired it from a friend in the early 1970s.
It was given to Lennon’s cousin David Birch after he asked his famous relative if
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