Scratched by Kurt Cobain, David Gilmour and Eddie Van Halen… Here are the four most expensive guitars in auction history, as Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler sold 120 guitars and amps at Christie’s in London on Wednesday.
Mark Knopfler’s instruments are not expected at these heights, the most coveted, a Gibson Les Paul Standard from 1959, being estimated between 300,000 and 500,000 pounds sterling (between 380,000 and 635,000 dollars).
A Kurt Cobain Martin, $6 million
AFP
The record for the most expensive guitar has been held since June 2020 by the Martin D-18E used by Kurt Cobain during the recording of Nirvana’s famous “Unplugged” concert, in New York on November 18, 1993.
Its price: 6 million dollars, under the hammer of the Julien’s house.
The semi-acoustic guitar, which dates from 1959, met the rules of the show “Unplugged” on the American channel MTV, which wanted guest artists to use only acoustic or semi-acoustic instruments.
A Fender by Kurt Cobain, 4.7 million
MEGA/IF
The second guitar on the list also belonged to the Nirvana star. This is the Fender Mustang used in the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in 1991.
It was acquired in May 2022, still at Julien’s, for $4.7 million by Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts American football franchise and a major guitar collector.
According to the billionaire, the Cobain family donated part of the proceeds from the sale to Kicking the Stigma, an initiative by Jim Irsay which raises awareness of mental illness. A donation which echoes the suicide of Kurt Cobain, depressed and addicted to heroin, on April 5, 1994.
David Gilmour’s « Black Strat », 4 millions
AFP
Sold in June 2019 for $3.975 million, David Gilmour’s (Pink Floyd) Fender Stratocaster, called the “Black Strat”, held the record for the most expensive guitar at the time. Billionaire Jim Irsay was already the lucky buyer.
The guitar was sold during a sale organized by Christie’s, which raised $21.5 million for the benefit of the environmental NGO ClientEarth.
The same day, two other David Gilmour guitars passed the million mark.
Eddie Van Halen’s Une Kramer, 3.9 million
AFP
Auctioned for $3.932 million in April 2023, the Kramer used by Eddie Van Halen, founder of the group of the same name, in the music video for “Hot For Teacher” (1984) narrowly missed the podium.
According to the Sotheby’s auction house, which organized the sale, luthier Paul Unkert equipped the guitar with important innovations adapted to the evolution of Eddie Van Halen’s technique.
2024-01-30 15:52:50
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