The 15 Most Insanely Expensive Guitars Ever Sold
How much would you pay to feel like a legend? Would you really pay a million bucks to have that experience? Let’s take a look at the most insanely expensive guitars ever sold!
2024 updated
Eric Clapton's 'Blackie'
Attribution: Eden, Janine and Jim, licensed under the CC BY 2.0 license
How much would you pay to feel like a legend? While we cannot step into the shoes of our favorite rockstars, we can definitely play their guitars… if we can afford that, of course.
Indeed, owning an iconic instrument is surely overwhelming, but would you really pay a million bucks to have that experience? Some folks did.
Let’s take a look at the most insanely expensive guitars ever sold:
George Harrison and John Lennon's 1964 Gibson SG - Sold For $570,000
This Gibson SG guitar was sold at auction in New York. George Harrison used it first in 1966 for the Revolver album and then two years later in 1968, was used by John Lennon during White Album sessions.
"Lenny" Stevie Ray Vaughan's Fender Composite Stratocaster, - Sold for $623,500
This guitar was bought for Vaughan by his wife, Lenora. It was one of the guitars he used the most. It was put up for auction in 2004 and Guitar Center paid a solid amount of $623,500 just to add it to their huge collection.
Eric Clapton's CF Martin & Co. Acoustic Guitar - Sold for $791,500
Attribution: edwardhblake, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Eric Clapton's CF Martin & Co. acoustic guitar, featured on the 'Unplugged' album cover, sold for $791,500. Played during his iconic MTV Unplugged session, it became synonymous with hits like "Layla" and revitalized his career.
Eric Clapton’s 1964 Gibson ES-335 TDC - Sold for $847,500
Clapton used the ESS-335 TDC with the Yardbirds, and then during his recording sessions with Blind Faith and the following two tours. It was sold for $847,500 in 2004.
John Lennon's 1964 Rose-Morris Rickenbacker 1996 - Sold for $910,000
It all started with an accident. John’s Rickenbacker 325 was damaged during a performance in 1964, and John obtained the Rose-Morris as a replacement. Lennon gifted it to Ringo Starr later. Sold in a Los Angeles auction in 2015.
Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" - Sold for $957,500
Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" guitar sold for $957,500 in 2002 to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. Irsay has loaned it for Dead & Company concerts and showcased it in exhibitions such as Play It Loud at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019.
Eric Clapton's Blackie Stratocaster - Sold for $959,500
Attribution: Chris Hakkens, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Eric Clapton's iconic "Blackie" Stratocaster sold for $959,500 in 2004, supporting his Crossroads Centre, before being surpassed by another celebrity-signed Strat in 2006 at $2.8M.
Bob Dylan’s 1964 Fender Stratocaster - Sold For $965,000
Attribution: Eden, Janine and Jim, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Yeah, this is exactly the guitar Bob used at the Newport Folk Festival, on 25 July 1965. The guitar was lost and found again 40 years later. Sold in December 2013.
Keith Richards 1959 Les Paul Standard - Sold for $1 Million
Attribution: Eden, Janine and Jim, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
Keith Richard’s Les Paul has been used by many guitar legends, including Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Sold in 2006 to an anonymous music producer in Sweden.
Jerry Garcia’s Wolf - Sold for $1,900,000
Jerry Garcia's legendary "Wolf" guitar sold for $1.9M at a Brooklyn Bowl auction, including a $1.6M bid and a $300K buyer's premium benefiting the Southern Poverty Law Center. Previously owned by philanthropist Daniel Pritzker, the sale marked a historic moment for Grateful Dead fans.
Jimi Hendrix's "Woodstock" 1968 Fender Stratocaster - Sold for $2 Million
Public domain
Jimi had a number of guitars in his collection, and all of them proved to be quite expensive. This white Strat, played by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock, was no exception. In 1998 Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen bought the relic for $2 million.
Peter Green and Gary Moore's 1959 Les Paul Standard - Sold for $2 Million
This guitar has been known as the 'Holy Grail' for its distinctive, out-of-phase sound. It spent more than 37 years in Moore’s hands and was bought by Kirk Hammett from Metallica in 2014.
John Lennon's 1962 Gibson J-160E, - Sold for $2.4 Million
Public domain
Lost and found… and sold for $2.4 million! The guitar has an unusual story. This is the exact instrument Lennon used to record the 'Please Please Me' album. He lost the guitar in 1963 and had never seen it again. Eventually, 52 years later, the instrument reappeared and was sold during a live Julien's auction in LA, in 2015.
Reach out to Asia Fender Stratocaster - Sold for $2.7 Million
In 2005, this masterpiece was sold for almost three million dollars in one of the auctions in Qatar. The funds collected from the auction were used to help 'Reach Out to Asia', a charity formed to help the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster.
The instrument is signed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davis, Liam Gallagher, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Angus and Malcolm Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams who initiated the project.
Photo source: Fender Wiki under under CC-BY-SA
John Lennon's Lost ‘Help!’ Guitar - Sold for $2.85 Million
John Lennon's 1964 Framus "Help!" Hootenanny guitar sold for $2.85M at Julien's Auctions, marking a historic moment after being lost for 50 years!
David Gilmour’s 1969 Black Strat - Sold for $3.975 Million
Attribution: TheTankman, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
The legendary 1969 Fender Stratocaster was David Gilmour's primary guitar for Pink Floyd's most famous albums, including The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. It was sold in 2019 as part of Gilmour's charity auction.
Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang (from Smells Like Teen Spirit) - Sold for $4.5 Million
Attribution: Razvan Orendovici, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license
This iconic blue guitar, featured in Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, was sold in 2022.
Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar - Sold for $6 Million
This 1959 Martin D-18E was played by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain during their iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged performance. It was sold at auction in 2020 and holds the record for the most expensive guitar ever sold.
About George Cassadrian
One of the two lead singers of Mobvibe, George is an avid songwriter with a refined taste in retro music and beautiful electric guitars.
Contact George Cassadrian at georgecassadrian@musicngear.com
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