David Gilmour’s famous black Fender Stratocaster became the highest-priced guitar in history after selling for $14.5 million at auction.
The sales record previously held by the guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged special dropped to fourth, after late billionaire Jim Irsay’s instrument collection went under the hammer at Christie’s in New York on Thursday (Mar. 12).
The $6 million tag for Cobain’s Martin D-18E, set in 2020 was passed by Gilmour’s Strat in a 21-minute bidding exchange. Jerry Garcia’s Tiger went for $11.5 million and Cobain’s Fender Mustang as played on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sold at $6.9 million.
In addition, Eric Clapton’s Cream-era Gibson SG, known as The Fool, went for $3 million, while the Martin 000-42 he played on his MTV Unplugged episode reached $4.1 million. Other items included a Ringo Starr drumkit ($2 million), a John Lennon Rickenbacker ($1.3 million) and a George Harrison Gibson SG ($2.3 million).
Gilmour parted with 127 guitars in 2019, in an auction that raised $21.5 million, with the Black Strat going for $3.9 million at the time. The proceeds went to the ClientEarth charity. The Pink Floyd icon explained: “The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible.
Jim Irsay Wanted His Guitar Collection to be Played
“I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change. We need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”
Indianapolis Colts owner Irsay died at the age of 65 in May 2025. He was determined that his collection of rock memorabilia should be accessible to fans, rather than hoarded in display cases and his touring museum offered people the chance to touch and play his instruments.
“To me, it’s really important that the museum is alive,” he said in 2021. “I want it to be interactive… I like people to be able to say, ‘I played Tiger’… Our emotional and spiritual lives are so tied to the arts, so tied to music.”
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Here are the 22 most expensive guitars of all time ever sold at auction. Indeed, these axes are the cream of the crop when it comes to expensive rock star guitars.
Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp
