<![CDATA[ Latest from Guitar World in Kurt-cobain ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/tag/kurt-cobain Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:02:40 +0000 en <![CDATA[ Watch Alice Cooper deliver a shock rock version of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit, with some help from new guitarist Anna Cara ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/alice-cooper-covers-nirvana-at-coopstock-2026 nRScZ56QALvXSCrb2NzVAX Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:02:40 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Own a piece of grunge history”: The backline used on Nirvana’s Bleach tour is to be auctioned off today ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/amps/nirvana-bleach-backline-auction BsPRKoWK3Ns4a9iKbGaFym Fri, 10 Apr 2026 17:26:30 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I literally cried tears of joy”: After years of searching, YouTuber finally uncovers the identity of Kurt Cobain’s mystery In Utero amp ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/amps/kurt-cobains-mystery-in-utero-amp saj64qQxpiLkJhHzHEUtgh Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:02:52 +0000 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 10:03:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Living in the shadow of my grunge parents, Courtney and Billy… it was a complex and exhausting shadow to come out from under”: Melissa Auf der Maur on joining Hole amidst tragedy and her “Master’s in Music” with the Smashing Pumpkins ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/melissa-auf-der-maur-even-the-good-girls-will-cry-memoir-interview ainiM36fv5C4VSPUY3oDrk Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:29:32 +0000 Tue, 17 Mar 2026 12:32:06 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Left-handed necks of that era typically say ‘Custom’ or ‘Special’ because they were so seldom made and used”: What Kurt Cobain’s record-breaking 1969 ‘Competition’ Mustang tells us about Fender’s guitar building in the ’60s ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/kurt-cobain-1969-smells-like-teen-spirit-mustang pEqKKTEJYZ6bGXkhErLKeR Fri, 13 Mar 2026 11:10:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ The Jim Irsay Collection sale live: David Gilmour's Black Strat sells for record-shattering $14.5 million in the biggest guitar auction in history ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/live/jim-irsay-collection-auction-live 5TWdAdtefDQU8GBcHvashJ Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:03:06 +0000 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:00:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He felt a responsibility to look after these things. He was aware that you can’t be buried with them – you are but the temporary custodian”: Inside the greatest guitar auction of all time ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitars/behind-the-scenes-at-the-jim-irsay-guitar-collection PsDMyD3CbXGaw7o2ZLz7JW Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:53:59 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I was going for Jag-Stang vibes”: How Spiritbox's Mike Stringer and Aristides channeled Kurt Cobain for one of modern metal’s most desirable signatures ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/mike-stringer-and-aristides-channeled-kurt-cobain-for-one-of-modern-metals-most-desirable-signatures RmpnAtUwZq6CHNhvS4zSTG Mon, 23 Feb 2026 10:15:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ “More than the return of an iconic instrument”: Mosrite Guitars – the underdog firm loved by Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, and Johnny Ramone – is back ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/sho-bud-mosrite-mark-ii i3FiZkxRSCgbrU4VoFWG5Z Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:10:26 +0000 Fri, 06 Feb 2026 20:11:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jim Irsay was so proud of having acquired this guitar. It was like the jewel in the crown of his collection”: Getting up-close with a $10m trio of guitars once wielded by Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/jim-irsay-christies-auction-preview-march-2026 cqneCKnBXJXjtLGpSWixDm Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:16:33 +0000 Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:15:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Jim Irsay was an incredible collector with an eye for rare treasures”: Details emerge of the historic guitars in the Jim Irsay Collection auction – including David Gilmour’s Black Strat and Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitars/details-emerge-of-the-historic-guitars-in-the-jim-irsay-collection-auction qKsmXH2AcdRf5KMWRP5CbP Fri, 09 Jan 2026 22:24:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ “One of the most significant artefacts in rock music history”: Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Martin D-18E – the world’s most expensive guitar – has been donated to the Royal College of Music London ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/acoustic-guitars/kurt-cobains-martin-d-18e-donated-to-rcm gVcbevTUQMSPB2GLcFR884 Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:11:56 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history”: Jim Irsay’s billion-dollar guitar collection is going to auction, with legendary instruments from Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour up for grabs ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitars/jim-irsay-guitar-collection-going-to-auction hMpZqAuy84qfSKYRJ4D3GM Thu, 30 Oct 2025 15:52:37 +0000 Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:30:50 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Kurt said, ‘I want the guy that did the Slayer album’”: How Kurt Cobain brought a more aggressive edge to Nevermind with the help of Slayer’s producer ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/how-kurt-cobain-ended-up-working-with-slayer-producer p5DRdSo6EWqGpzpC2YFhA3 Thu, 31 Jul 2025 13:58:20 +0000 Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:20:37 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Ever dreamed of owning a piece of Nirvana’s legacy?” A Kurt Cobain guitar pick previously sold for more than $14k – now his MTV Unplugged plectrum is being raffled off for much, much less ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitar-picks/royal-college-of-music-kurt-cobain-mtv-unplugged-pick-raffle fxD3FtE3qpUAjCbDbz9cNG Tue, 10 Jun 2025 10:41:04 +0000 Thu, 19 Jun 2025 09:13:18 +0000 <![CDATA[ A pink Daisy Rock acoustic guitar, signed by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, has just smashed its estimate as it sells for over $100,000 at auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/acoustic-guitars/taylor-swifts-daisy-rock-acoustic-sells-at-auction tkRpPUtbXQeW3JUPJSVrDE Fri, 06 Jun 2025 11:02:35 +0000 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:57:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I don’t have the words right now to express the loss of such a special man”: Jim Irsay, billionaire philanthropist and owner of the world’s greatest guitar collection, dies aged 65 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/jim-irsay-dies-aged-65 vGUYPeWVmsuRCszzk9RuuB Thu, 22 May 2025 10:41:05 +0000 Fri, 27 Jun 2025 15:44:32 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain's 1989 Takamine expected to fetch up to $500,000 at auction – alongside guitars played by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, David Bowie, Joe Perry and Melissa Etheridge ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/guitars/kurt-cobains-1989-takamine-acoustic-at-auction kSErk5LWoPqd48NreEcQPQ Fri, 09 May 2025 12:08:02 +0000 Tue, 13 May 2025 14:31:10 +0000 <![CDATA[ “A stand-out performance by a group that changed the course of rock history in the 1990s”: The world’s most expensive guitar, Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Martin acoustic, is set to go on display in the UK ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/acoustic-guitars/royal-college-of-music-kurt-cobain-mtv-unplugged-exhibition-2025 WD8QNQWmKJAc4HNStZVxvY Mon, 31 Mar 2025 11:46:46 +0000 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:23:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Kurt launched into that track and totally went off. In the middle of the song, he smashed his guitar to bits”: The making of the album that virtually invented a new genre, sold 30 million copies, and changed rock forever ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/the-story-of-nirvanas-nevermind WMS5MfjsxjXmfu7te2zBGZ Thu, 20 Feb 2025 14:00:00 +0000 Tue, 25 Feb 2025 15:41:54 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Someone told us that guitar was haunted – people who had it had accidents. I’m a Nirvana fan, but it was just a regular guitar to me”: Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt said the Martin museum felt like the “Holy Land,” but one guitar he played there left him cold ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/opeth-mikael-akerfeldt-on-playing-kurt-cobain-martin-d-18 C387fbZLZNJtBCLVemwVDM Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:16:41 +0000 Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:14:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I don’t believe he had any idea how rare it was before he bought it”: Kurt Cobain's $6m MTV Unplugged Martin was a historic guitar even before its Nirvana association, but a mod inspired by one of his guitar heroes made it one of a kind ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/kurt-cobain-6-million-dollar-martin-mod p5b89AowZgPPLggrAJyXgP Fri, 29 Nov 2024 10:41:00 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 11:38:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “We’re doing my first-ever gig with Nirvana on SNL. What I didn’t know was there was a discussion about my guitar like, ‘No, we can’t let him on stage’”: Pat Smear’s first Nirvana appearance almost didn’t happen – because of his guitar ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/pat-smear-first-nirvana-appearance-almost-did-not-happen-because-of-his-guitar 4j7vX4A9fvLwx9tRsEa8Eg Thu, 21 Nov 2024 15:37:30 +0000 Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:58:27 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Grunge was a much-needed break from the corporate ’80s sound. It literally put electric guitar rock back on the map”: Nancy Wilson explains why Seattle has produced so many guitar heroes ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/nancy-wilson-why-seattle-produces-guitar-heroes 4zsvtH3zCK5jRyLfBvhVv7 Tue, 13 Aug 2024 15:37:08 +0000 Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:07:22 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The last time I played that song was 30 years ago”: Krist Novoselic revisits three Nirvana classics as he joins FooVana hybrid tribute act ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/krist-novoselic-joins-nirvana-tribute-band BLzTWYJzYpKWJPXusuoSVP Mon, 22 Jul 2024 12:04:31 +0000 Tue, 06 Aug 2024 10:01:48 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I sourced all the original microphones that were used on the record”: This Nirvana tone chaser has spent years learning how to nail Kurt Cobain's guitar sound – now he’s released his research in the form of The Utero Sessions IR Pack ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/utero-sessions-ir-pack yCKX76E7eHWw65cF67SFwH Wed, 03 Jul 2024 15:30:05 +0000 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:58:52 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I had just moved to Olympia, and I heard some ruckus in the street, and then on my porch... it was Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl”: Bassist Joe Preston on how he joined the Melvins – with a little help from Nirvana ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bassist-joe-preston-on-joining-the-melvins sT7ztZnAXqRsrCmobGzzcY Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:43:14 +0000 Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:43:47 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I stuck with Gibson basses because they’re so dense”: Krist Novoselic dons a Thunderbird as he debuts his new band in Kurt Cobain's hometown – and pays tribute with a rendition of Nirvana's debut single ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/bassist-krist-novoselic-covers-nirvana ry4GgcDKADKWfrRSRrfSaN Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:57:29 +0000 Fri, 20 Sep 2024 15:30:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ “That doesn’t make any sense. It was not worth that”: Guitar collector and Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay doesn’t think Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged acoustic was worth $6 million ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jim-irsay-kurt-cobain-mtv-acoustic-value pQUgySgRkBqFCNtdRGzafe Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:23:14 +0000 Tue, 25 Jun 2024 09:22:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ “I narrowed it down to the bare essentials and found that three strings were all I needed”: 10 guitarists who played with missing strings on purpose… and the weird reasons why ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/guitarists-who-played-with-missing-strings Qpi78qDV82GrFAwe7zWNWn Mon, 13 May 2024 15:50:10 +0000 Fri, 31 May 2024 16:02:51 +0000 <![CDATA[ The 22 most expensive guitars of all time ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/most-expensive-guitars-sold-at-auction 4j84FBZ2yK5EbWbVkUyKHJ Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:12:25 +0000 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:29:00 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain guitars now account for 3 of the top 10 most expensive guitars sold at auction as the ‘Sky Stang I’ Fender Mustang used in Nirvana’s final performance sells for $1.5 million ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-fender-mustang-sky-stang-I-sold cKRogz9fbWVTP4H3HkopsM Mon, 20 Nov 2023 11:57:30 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:20:45 +0000 <![CDATA[ “The workhorse”: The Fender ‘Sky Stang’ played by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s last show – and 53 In Utero tour dates – is going up for auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-last-show-guitar-sky-stang-i-fender-mustang-auction WgFgh7LBd6vb6WkumNDK9F Mon, 09 Oct 2023 16:22:42 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Sick”: In 1985, Kurt Cobain carved one word into this Teisco Del-Ray guitar. Now it has sold at auction for $153,000 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-sick-teisco-sold-auction-153000-dollars ku3zG3snk5rEwhAuXXy3vf Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:57:47 +0000 Tue, 29 Aug 2023 13:58:53 +0000 <![CDATA[ The surprising secret behind Kurt Cobain’s guitar tone on Nirvana’s In Utero has been discovered, 30 years on from its release ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-fender-quad-reverb-tone-secret CUd3UZJDB6HrhGDMj5VwoP Wed, 16 Aug 2023 13:48:28 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:35 +0000 <![CDATA[ “Kurt took the guitar and carved the word ‘SICK’ at the bottom of it”: Two years before he started Nirvana, Kurt Cobain inscribed his friend’s Teisco guitar – now it’s headed for auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-teisco-guitar-franciscan-acoustic-auction aL3bLyf8knbBK4BZeeTDNb Thu, 03 Aug 2023 15:18:15 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:38 +0000 <![CDATA[ Jim Irsay, owner of some of the world’s most iconic guitars, says he was offered over $1 billion to sell his collection and relocate it to Dubai ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jim-irsay-offered-one-billion-dollars-for-guitar-collection M22BxJg8PtnNmYD9S4FyvU Mon, 31 Jul 2023 14:21:06 +0000 Wed, 19 Jun 2024 16:15:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ “He loves you guys. He doesn’t like anybody, but he loves you guys”: Joe Perry on the time he met Kurt Cobain – and Aerosmith’s unlikely influence on Nirvana ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/joe-perry-kurt-cobain-aerosmith-nirvana-influence sMyyvro2QXWH5VnUWMUL66 Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:32:25 +0000 Fri, 21 Jul 2023 12:11:15 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain-signed 1966 Fender Jaguar, Elvis Presley’s Rosewood Telecaster head up bumper guitar auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-jaguar-elvis-presley-telecaster-auction cLDCSkrfgw2WY8XbGrUn3V Tue, 11 Jul 2023 17:25:13 +0000 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:21:34 +0000 <![CDATA[ The world’s most expensive guitar pick? A Kurt Cobain-signed plectrum, thought to have tracked the Nevermind demos, has sold at auction for over $14,000 ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/most-expensive-guitar-pick-kurt-cobain-nevermind-auction zsCHomM3cWRRiX5ESYUmkC Thu, 06 Jul 2023 18:36:55 +0000 Fri, 19 Jul 2024 11:44:05 +0000 <![CDATA[ Is this the most expensive smashed guitar ever sold? Kurt Cobain’s stage-smashed Fender Stratocaster sells at auction for $600,000 – 10 times its initial estimate ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-most-expensive-stage-smashed-strat-guitar-sold cro4HpH7HRgh4iPmvpyERH Mon, 22 May 2023 10:36:27 +0000 Tue, 23 May 2023 15:31:33 +0000 <![CDATA[ The 5 Nirvana basslines you need to hear ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/features/the-5-nirvana-basslines-you-need-to-hear jJsCufYGMTjCQUvfFZ4uR4 Fri, 05 May 2023 12:50:23 +0000 Sat, 06 May 2023 07:16:09 +0000 <![CDATA[ A Kurt Cobain stage-smashed Fender Stratocaster is going up for auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-smashed-strat-mark-lanegan-auction u8yjFmXVDMPegCNU6MuXpF Wed, 03 May 2023 20:57:42 +0000 <![CDATA[ Nirvana, Nile Rodgers and Heart’s Nancy and Ann Wilson all honored with 2023 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/nirvana-nile-rodgers-heart-2023-grammys qTZWgWiuKndzmFGDJDyfyk Fri, 06 Jan 2023 12:43:01 +0000 Fri, 06 Jan 2023 15:56:25 +0000 <![CDATA[ A YouTuber has built a pedal to clone Kurt Cobain’s home demo tone ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/aaron-rash-kurt-cobain-the-engine-pedal MrFymbWdWUnHaQvTXNVfg4 Fri, 02 Dec 2022 18:06:58 +0000 Tue, 22 Oct 2024 15:32:20 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain’s Boss DS-1 sells for $75,000 – is this the most expensive pedal sold at auction? ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-boss-ds-1-auction wsuRFb5oNsZFBLLWtyvmt7 Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:15:41 +0000 Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:02:21 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain’s stage-smashed 1973 Fender Mustang sells for nearly $500,000 at auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-1973-fender-mustang-sells-for-nearly-500000 rMGWFCRnPqu7L6rWydxVgm Mon, 14 Nov 2022 11:44:38 +0000 Fri, 18 Nov 2022 14:57:07 +0000 <![CDATA[ Kurt Cobain-signed 1973 Fender Mustang – which he smashed onstage in 1989 – goes up for auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/kurt-cobain-1973-fender-mustang-auction x9ifvr2qD8LWeRw3tCjoe3 Wed, 02 Nov 2022 19:27:41 +0000 <![CDATA[ Watch Red Hot Chili Peppers cover Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit with John Frusciante on lead vocals ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/red-hot-chili-peppers-cover-nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit jni2Yi2p4HF7ZrNHM49xNS Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:45:00 +0000 Tue, 01 Nov 2022 10:33:02 +0000 <![CDATA[ Guitars played by Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Ace Frehley go up for auction ]]> https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jimi-hendrix-george-harrison-frehley-auction xPCZgNGa4Rdon8fDRo39ZU Fri, 05 Aug 2022 15:42:54 +0000