About the most expensive guitars in the world

The guitar is just an instrument, many will say. High-quality, impeccable finish and detailed sound, built to last, but it is only for sound production. Those who pay tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars for samples that have gone down in history will not agree with this. And sometimes millions.

The cost of a guitar is greatly influenced not only by its age, but also by the performer who owned it. The glory of famous musicians is imprinted on the guitar. It is cool and prestigious to have in your collection a product on which the leading guitarist of a world-famous band “rocked the stadiums” or recorded the best studio work by an outstanding instrumentalist of an entire era, cool and prestigious. In addition , the price of guitars that have been in the hands of famous mediators is growing day by day.

What was worth thousands twenty years ago is now worth millions of dollars.

Top 10 Most Expensive Guitars

Despite the value of guitars owned by famous people, they still fluctuate in price. It is impossible to tell about all the guitars that have ever been sold under the hammer. However, the list below is one of the most expensive instruments put up for auction, and very successfully.

Prototype Fender Broadcaster . With this sample began the triumph of Leo Fender. In the 40s of the XX century, acoustic guitars with pickups were in use among musicians. Fender made an attempt to make the case out of a single piece of wood, and he was right. Within a short time, Broadcaster guitars gained popularity. Gretch even accused Fender of brand misappropriation, after which the name was changed to Telecaster. Ironically, today Gretch is owned by the Fender holding. Back in 1994, the prototype was purchased for a personal collection for 375 thousand dollars. If it were put up for auction today, the value of the instrument would be many times higher.

Eric Clapton’s Gold Leaf Stratocaster . In terms of guitars that he sold and gave away, and which subsequently found a high value, Eric Clapton is clearly in the lead. His “gold leaf” was made to order by Fender recently, in 1996. To give it exclusivity at the request of the star customer, the manufacturer covered the body of the instrument with gilding. However, Clapton did not play it for a long time: a couple of years later the guitar was sold for almost half a million dollars.

Gibson SG Harrison and Lennon . In 1966-67, most of the songs were recorded using this guitar. The instrument was designed by Gibson in collaboration with Les Paul, but he subsequently wished to remove his name from the model due to the design he did not like. Instead, he proposed the abbreviation SG, that is, Solid Guitar – “solid guitar”. A characteristic feature was the symmetrical “horns” of the body and the pickguard in the form of a bat’s wing. By the way, Lennon played this instrument on the “white” album. In 2004, recovered from storage, this guitar was valued at $570,000.

Fender Stratocaster Stevie Ray Vaughan . The man who revived interest in the blues played a fender given to him by his wife for 10 years until he crashed a helicopter in 1990. The musician’s favorite guitar with his initials on the body was sold for 625 thousand dollars.

Gibson ES0335 by Eric Clapton . Classic old-school body and closeness to the origins of the famous guitarist’s popularity, because it was on it that the first hits were composed in the early 60s. Sold for nearly $850,000, this is one of the most expensive guitars in Gibson’s arsenal.

Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” Stratocaster . The guitar is not serial, but custom: the maestro assembled it on the basis of three other “fenders” he liked, and then painted the body black. After losing on it for 13 long years, Clapton put it up for a charity auction, where it was bought for 960 thousand dollars.

Bob Marley’s Washburn Hawk . One of the first Washburn guitars, and now a national treasure in Jamaica. The eccentric reggae star simply gave it to master Harry Carlsen, bequeathing to use it for a cause, the essence of which he will understand in time. Years later, it was sold at auction for $1.6 million, although today its price has already risen.

Jimi Hendrix’s Fender Stratocaster . The guitar is as legendary as its owner, who played it at the 1969 Woodstock festival. They say that back in the early 90s, Microsoft co-owner Paul Allen bought it for 2 million, but he himself prefers not to talk about it.

Fender fund Reach out to Asia . This guitar is not a personal instrument. It was put up for auction by Bryan Adams to raise funds for the 2004 tsunami. It has been signed by many of the most famous musicians, from Keith Richards to Liam Gallagher. The result – a purchase for 2.7 million dollars.

Martin D18-E Kurt Cobain . On it, the late musician played his Unplugged concert in 1993. True, I bought it much earlier. Peter Friedman bought it at auction for a record $6 million, making it the most expensive guitar purchase in history.

Most Expensive Acoustic Guitars

Before Cobain’s guitar was purchased in 2020, Eric Clapton’s CF Martin was considered the most expensive acoustic guitar. The instrument is a true rarity, made in 1939, even before World War II.

The quality turned out to be so high that the guitar could still be used for its intended purpose today, if the private owner, who bought it for almost 800 thousand dollars, did not keep it in a safe place.

Most Expensive Bass Guitars

Bass players are humble people. The audience often does not understand at all what that strange man in the back of the stage is doing, “armed” with a guitar with four exorbitantly thick strings.

This is why bass guitars rarely end up in auctions. However, Jaco Pastorius’ 1962 Jazz Bass would undoubtedly be the most expensive, the same one from which he removed the frets , sealing the cracks with epoxy. The bass was stolen until it was found in an antiques store in New York in 2008. Now it is owned by Robert Trujillo.

The most expensive electric guitars

The situation is constantly changing, “new old” instruments are coming to auctions. Considering that Cobain’s guitar is essentially still an acoustic , the black Stratocaster David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, which he played during the recording of “Dark Side of the Moon”, can be considered the most expensive electric guitar. In 2019, it was sold for $3.95 million.