People specifically play guitar to make music, to follow their passion, or maybe as their hobby.
But what if playing guitar gives a bunch of usefulness, that would be the icing on the cake, right?
However, there are other advantages to playing guitar besides making music or the fact it’s a hobby you enjoy.
The guitar has gifts to both the mind and the body that you may not recognize, But playing the guitar can lose your pockets, how?
Furthermore, As the most expensive and most on-demand collectibles, these guitars are excellent and offer a practical understanding of art that inspires music players and fans around the globe.
Here, now is a list of the top 10 most expensive Guitar in the world in 2023.
Why These Guitars Are So Expensive?
So, If you are enthusiastic about guitars, then I guess you know how expensive some can be.
High-quality wood, strings, pick-ups as well as craftsmanship, and build grade are some of the features used to rank guitars globally.
Nevertheless, you may not discover some of the most expensive guitars in your local guitar shop as they are on-demand and the most sort after in the world.
However, let’s take a look at the top 10 most expensive Guitars in the world in 2023.
Top 10 Most Expensive Guitar In The World
1. 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic, Kurt Cobain – $6.1 million
2. Black Strat, David Gilmour – $3.9 million
3. Reach Out To Asia Fender Stratocaster – $2.7 million
4. 1962 Gibson J-160E Acoustic-Electric, John Lennon – $2.4 million
5. 1968 Fender Stratocaster, Jimi Hendrix – $2 million
6. Wolf, Jerry Garcia – $1.9 million
7. Washburn 22 Series Hawk, Bob Marley – $1.2 million
8. 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer – $1.1 million
9. 1959 Les Paul, Keith Richard – $1 million
10. 1964 Newport Fender Stratocaster, Bob Dylan – $965,000
1. Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic- $6.1 Million
Owned By: Pete Freedman
So, the most expensive guitar in the world title proceeds to Kurt Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic.
It was bought by the creator of RØDE Microphones Pete Freedman at an auction in Beverly Hills in 2020.
However, they organized to secure the historical piece overnight, setting a new milestone of $6 million, and rewrote the world’s most expensive guitar record established by “The Black Strat” last year.
The 1959 Martin D-18E Acoustic is an improved Martin acoustic utilized by Cobain for Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged show in 1993.
Also, This guitar is said to be among the last lyrical instruments he ever played.
2. Black Strat Guitar- $3.9 Million
Owned By: Jim Irsay
This iconic “Black Strat” is the second most expensive guitar in the world ever traded at an auction.
However, It was traded at $3.9 million to the Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay at a David Gilmour auction in 2019 in New York, earning the most expensive guitar ever sold in history.
In Addition, Gilmour racked up $21.4 million from the auction and determined to contribute the earnings to an environmental law charity “Client Earth,” which fights in favor of environmental action.
Moreover, David Gilmour’s “Black Strat” is present in several prominent works with Pink Floyd.
Nonetheless, containing “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Animals and The Wall” and “Wish You Were Here” albums.
3. The Fender Stratocaster- $2.7 Million
Owned By: Sotheby
The third one is, The Fender Stratocaster was sold at $2.7 million in 2015 by Sotheby’s, making it the most expensive guitar in the world at the time.
Moreover, The Fender Stratocaster resulted from Bryan Adams’ “Reach Out To Asia” tour.
So, which was aimed at supporting the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami victims in 2004, which killed approximately 230,000 people from 14 countries.
4. 1962 Gibson J-160E Acoustic-Electric, John Lennon – $2.4 Million
Owned By- George Harrison and John Lennon
Coming to the fourth most expensive guitar, It was one of the pairs almost similar to acoustic guitars that George Harrison and John Lennon purchased in 1992 in London.
However, John Lennon’s 1962 Gibson J-160E Acoustic-Electric led to the birth of Beatles songs such as “She Loves You” and “I Saw Her Standing There.”
Later, after the Beatles’ performance in 1963, this musical instrument disappeared, and people presumed it out of the market.
But it resurfaced again several years later. Initially, it was purchased at £161 in 1962, but the acoustic guitar was sold in 2014 sold to an anonymous bidder for $2.4 million.
5. 1968 Fender Stratocaster, Jimi Hendrix- $2 Million
Owned By- Jimi Hendrix
The 1968 Fender Stratocaster with Olympic white finish isn’t so unique when matched with some guitars in this list.
Nonetheless, Jimi Hendrix played it at the Woodstock music festival in 1969, where “The Star-Spangled Banner” legendary performance happened.
However, Following its unique history, Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fender Stratocaster was purchased by Paul Allen (Microsoft co-founder) for about $2 million in 1998.
Moreover, This is one of those treasures of life you would undoubtedly go for if you could.
6. Wolf, Jerry Garcia – $1.9 Million
Owned By-Jerry Garcia
Moving towards the sixth most expensive guitar, This is Jerry Garcia’s second guitar listed in the top ten most expensive guitars in the world.
Also, It is a custom Doug Irwin guitar dubbed, “Wolf.” Like Custom Doug Irwin, “Tiger,” this guitar is nicknamed after the custom wolf artwork commissioned on its body.
The “Wolf” was sold at the Southern Poverty Law Centre fundraiser, and it managed to fetch nearly $2 million at an auction in 2002.
Currently, the worth of this guitar could be even more dependent on its condition.
7 . Washburn 22 Series Hawk, Bob Marley -$1.2 Million
Owned By- Bob Marley
Bob Marley’s Washburn 22 Series Hawk comes at number five of the world’s most expensive guitars.
Though, Bob Marley, the most celebrated Reggae artist who ever lived, had seven guitars throughout his life.
One of the guitars he owned was the 22-Series Hawk Washburn, which he later gave his guitar technician, Gary Clausen, as a gift.
Rumors have it that the Jamaican Government acknowledged the guitar as a national treasure.
Later, bought Bob Marley’s guitar for between $1.2 and $2 million at an auction. Though, the whereabouts of the Washburn 22 Series Hawk are unidentified up to date.
8. 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer – $1.1 Million
Owned By- Gibson Korina
The value of the 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer can be ascribed to having been played by the world’s top three guitarists (Kirk Hammett, Rick Neilson, and Slash).
What’s special about this guitar is that all three played it at some point in their music careers.
Only about ten of the 1958 Gibson Korina Explorers were ever made, and this explains why it fetched a cool $1.1 million at an auction.
Therefore, Its worth lies in its unique history it has its scarcity, and its unusual shape.
9. 1959 Les Paul, Keith Richard -$1 Million
Owned By- Keith Richards
Keith Richards 1959 Les Paul is valued at an excess of six figures without a famous name attached to it.
However, Keith Richards played this guitar in a debut execution at Rolling Stones on the Ed Sullivan show, known to have been a prominent moment in the history of Rock and Roll.
Moreover, The Ed Sullivan Show made a lot of bands and artists prominent and significantly added to the value of items like Keith Richards’s 1959 Les Paul.
Later, In 2003, the guitar was sold at an auction for $1 million.
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10. 1964 Newport Fender Stratocaster, Bob Dylan – $965,000
Owned By- Bob Dylan
Coming to the last one, Fender Stratocaster is the first electric guitar ever recreated by Bob Dylan in a live show, and since then.
However, this guitar became an essential historical item.
At one time, his fans booed during a concert because Dylan’s choice of guitar did not engrave them.
Also, They loved the acoustic versions of his songs, and during the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, they informed him about that when he came to the stage.
At the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, Dylan’s intention of guitar and performance marked his shift to the use of more electronic appliances.
Following the story behind Fender Stratocaster, it was sold at $965,000 at an auction in 1964.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Expensive Corvette in the World
Bottom Line
However, in this article above, we shared top 10 the most expensive guitars in the world in 2023.
Moreover, Do you love playing guitar or do you love to explore while someone plays the guitar, or does it come in the top 1o most expensive guitars’ list or not?
Do share your views and which one of them you want to try at least once in your life, if you’ve not tried so far, we would love to know your views.
So, hope you find this article worth it, feel free to share your recommendations and reviews on it, we would be pleased to get your views on this.
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