The 14 most expensive guitars of all time By Jenna Scaramanga published 20 November 23 Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction
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 By Matt Parker published 20 November 23 The value of Kurt Cobain-associated guitar sales on the list now more than doubles that of his nearest competitor, David Gilmour
“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 By Matt Parker published 9 October 23 The Japanese Mustang – aka The Sky Stang I – was used at Nirvana’s final show in Munich, Germany and is expected to fetch between $1 and $2 million
“Sick”: In 1985, Kurt Cobain carved one word into this Teisco Del-Ray guitar. Now it has sold at auction for $153,000 By Matt Parker published 29 August 23 The instrument recently sold at auction for a price that far exceeded the $10,000 minimum bid
The surprising secret behind Kurt Cobain’s guitar tone on Nirvana’s In Utero has been discovered, 30 years on from its release By Jonathan Horsley published 16 August 23 And it’s not a magic pedal, magic amp or a magic guitar...
His underrated guitar playing influenced everyone from the Beatles to Nirvana – here's how Lead Belly used his 12-string skills to play his way out of prison By Jackson Maxwell published 4 August 23 Huddie Ledbetter's magnetic musical talent got him an early release from a hellish Texas prison – yet his full impact on 20th century guitar playing is often overlooked
“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 By Matt Parker published 3 August 23 The Teisco Del Ray EV-2T and a Cobain-owned Franciscan acoustic are the latest instruments associated with the Nirvana man to hit the market
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 By Matt Parker published 31 July 23 The Indianapolis Colts owner’s guitar collection includes Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang and David Gilmour’s Black Strat
“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 By Matt Parker published 14 July 23 The Aerosmith man once met Kurt Cobain backstage in Seattle, but says the Nirvana frontman was almost non-verbal
Kurt Cobain-signed 1966 Fender Jaguar, Elvis Presley’s Rosewood Telecaster head up bumper guitar auction By Matt Owen published 11 July 23 A Gibson Sonex signed by Steve Vai, Warren Haynes, Eric Johnson, Al Di Meola and many more can also be found in the mammoth auction catalog
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 By Matt Parker published 6 July 23 The pick features Cobain’s doodled take on the Dunlop Tortex logo. “I knew this piece was special when I saw it,” says buyer Shaun Ertischek
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 By Matt Parker published 22 May 23 The instrument, signed by all three members of Nirvana, er, smashed expectations in the recent sale
The 5 Nirvana basslines you need to hear By Joel McIver published 5 May 23 From Smells Like Teen Spirit to About a Girl, here are Krist Novoselic’s five greatest basslines
A Kurt Cobain stage-smashed Fender Stratocaster is going up for auction By Jackson Maxwell published 3 May 23 Signed by all three members of Nirvana, the Strat also features a note from Cobain addressed to the Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan
Nirvana, Nile Rodgers and Heart’s Nancy and Ann Wilson all honored with 2023 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards By Matt Parker published 6 January 23 The Recording Academy has announced the list of honorees for this year, and it’s studded with iconic guitar talent
A YouTuber has built a pedal to clone Kurt Cobain’s home demo tone By Matt Parker published 2 December 22 Producer/songwriter Aaron Rash has hand-wired a pedal he calls the Engine
Kurt Cobain’s Boss DS-1 sells for $75,000 – is this the most expensive pedal sold at auction? By Matt Parker published 16 November 22 The highly personalized distortion pedal recently went for more than Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys Octavia pedal
Kurt Cobain’s stage-smashed 1973 Fender Mustang sells for nearly $500,000 at auction By Matt Owen published 14 November 22 The sunburst offset was smashed in 1989, and its remains were swapped for a Gibson SG after Cobain's guitar-destroying performance left him without an instrument to play
Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear Reflect on the Making of Nirvana's 'In Utero' By Alan di Perna last updated 4 November 22
Kurt Cobain-signed 1973 Fender Mustang – which he smashed onstage in 1989 – goes up for auction By Matt Owen published 2 November 22 The signed guitar was later exchanged for a Gibson SG, after Cobain's guitar-smashing antics left him without a guitar to play for Nirvana's gigs