The guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video has broken the record for the most expensive Cobain guitar sold at auction.
The left-handed ’60s Fender Mustang sold for $6.907 million at a Christie’s auction on Thursday, beating its estimate of between $2.5 million and $5 million. The guitar was part of the collection of late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, who purchased it for around $4.5 million in 2022.
This latest sale eclipses the $6 million Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E, which he famously played during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, went for in a 2020 auction.
At the time, the Unplugged guitar set the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction. Not only was that mark beaten by the “Teen Spirit” guitar, it was surpassed twice more in the very same Christie’s sale. Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger” guitar sold for $11.56 million, while David Gilmour’s famed “Black Strat” sold for $14.55 million. The Pink Floyd icon’s guitar now officially holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
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