A smashed guitar belonging to Kurt Cobain, the late frontman of the iconic grunge band Nirvana, recently sold at auction for nearly $600,000. The instrument, a 1959 Martin D-18E, was played by Cobain during the band’s famous 1993 MTV Unplugged performance, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest live performances of all time.
The guitar was sold by Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in celebrity memorabilia, and was snapped up by a private collector after a fierce bidding war. The final price was higher than the auction estimate, which had placed the value of the guitar at between $300,000 and $500,000.
The backstory of the guitar is as legendary as the man who wielded it. After the Unplugged performance, Cobain gave the guitar to an executive at the cable network, Bob Stane, as a thank-you gesture. The musician, who died the following year, had inscribed the back of the guitar with a message, which read: “Fuck Elvis, this is the real thing.”
The guitar has had several owners over the years, and the current owner chose to remain anonymous. It is not known how often the instrument was played in the intervening years since Cobain’s death, but Julien’s Auctions stated that it remained in good condition despite its obvious battle scars.
The sale of the guitar highlights the huge demand for Cobain memorabilia among fans and collectors. The musician left behind a powerful legacy after his untimely death at age 27, which has continued to inspire generations of musicians and music fans.
Cobain’s influence on the music industry cannot be overstated. Nirvana’s breakthrough album, “Nevermind,” released in 1991, is widely regarded as one of the most important albums of the decade, and helped usher in a new era of alternative music. Cobain’s songwriting, marked by its rawness and vulnerability, struck a chord with listeners around the world, and helped make Nirvana one of the most influential bands of all time.
Despite his short life, Cobain remains a beloved and enduring figure, with fans continuing to revere his music and his defiant, anti-establishment attitude. The sale of his smashed guitar shows that his influence shows no signs of abating anytime soon.
