The guitar used by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana’s iconic “MTV Unplugged” performance in 1993 sold for a record $6 million at an auction Saturday night.
The 1959 Martin D-18E, bought by Cobain at Los Angeles’ Voltage Guitars and modified for the left-hander, was sold by Julien’s Auctions, Rolling Stone reported.
The guitar was part of Julien’s Auctions’ Music Icons event.
The guitar received seven bids during the two-day auction in Beverly Hills, California, and had received bids of $1 million before the sale officially opened, Julien’s said on its website. The winning bid was $6,010,000, according to the website.
The winning bidder was Peter Freedman, the co-founder of Rode Microphones, Variety reported.
The previous record was $3.95 million for a black Stratocaster owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, according to Rolling Stone.
SOLD for $6,010,000! A new world record for a guitar! Kurt Cobain's guitar used with Nirvana's MTV Unplugged!
— Juliens Auctions (@JuliensAuctions) June 20, 2020
Sold in our “Music Icons” auction taking in Beverly Hills and live at https://t.co/TiME89uOXn!
#Auction #JuliensAuctions #RockNRoll #KurtCobain #Nirvana #WorldRecord pic.twitter.com/ZbNg13yUHu
Cobain, the lead singer for Nirvana, used the guitar during the “MTV Unplugged” set in New York on Nov. 18, 1993. The show featured stripped-down renditions of songs including “Come As You Are,” “About A Girl” and “Dumb,” Variety reported. The set also included covers of songs by David Bowie, Leadbelly and the Meat Puppets.
Cobain died April 5, 1994. The MTV performance was released as a live album after Cobain’s death and earned Nirvana a Grammy in 1996 for best alternative music performance.
“This important guitar has earned its rightful place in rock ‘n’ roll history as the instrument played by one of rock’s most influential musicians and icons in one of the greatest and most memorable live performances of all time,” Darren Julien, president and CEO of the auction house, said in a statement before the auction.
The guitar was one of several Nirvana items in the auction, Variety reported. A signed “Nevermind” poster sold for $56,250, and the camera, negatives and signed prints from Nirvana’s 1992 Spin magazine photoshoot sold for $35,200.
In October 2019, the green cardigan Cobain wore during the “Unplugged” set was sold by Julien’s Auctions for $334,000, making it the most expensive sweater ever purchased at auction, Rolling Stone reported.
The auction also featured the sale of Prince’s “Blue Angel” Cloud 2 electric guitar, which fetched a winning bid of $563,000, Julien’s said.
Cox Media Group
