The ultimate Christmas playlist for children
This guitar was played both John Lennon and George Harrison between 1966 and 1969. It was not only used live, but also in the recording sessions of the 'White Album.' It sold at Christie’s Auction House for US$567,500 in 2004 .
This rare Martin guitar owned by American singer and actor Roy Rogers was sold in 2009 for over half a million US dollars!
This is the guitar the iconic guitarist famously set on fire during a performance at London's Astoria in 1967. The torched guitar was bought by collector Daniel Boucher in 2008 for £280,000 (which was around US$570,000 at the time).
This was the very first guitar played by Paul McCartney. It was owned by the his former school friend Ian James, who sold it at auction in 2006 for £330,000 (about US$615,000 at the time).
This 1959 Les Paul was previously owned by Gary Moore and then by Peter Green. In 2014 'Greeny' found its way to Metallica's guitarist Kirk Hammett, who is said to have paid "less than US$2 million" for it.
This guitar was used on the live recording of 'Statesboro Blues' from Allman Brothers Band's 'At Fillmore East' album. It sold at auction in 2019 for over half a million dollars.
Also known as the 'Cream guitar,' this instrument was used by Clapton from 1964 until the date it was sold at a charity auction in 2004 for US$847,500.
The blues guitar legend received this guitar as a birthday present from his wife, Lenora. Stevie Ray Vaughan wrote the song 'Lenny' with it. It sold for US$623,500 at auction in 2004.
This Ricky can be seen during The Beatles’ first appearance on the TV show 'Ready Steady Go!' in 1963. In 2014, it sold for US$657,000 at auction.
This was one of the five guitars custom-designed for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead by American luthier Doug Irwin. Tiger found a new owner in 2002, who paid US$850,000 at auction (which came at US$957,500 with the added buyer's premium).
This beautiful pre-war Martin belonged to Eric Clapton. The instrument was sold in 2004 at Christie's Auction House for US$791,500.
'Blackie' is arguably Eric Clapton's most iconic guitar. The black Strat was sold at a charity auction for nearly a million. The proceedings went towards Clapton's foundation, Crossroads Center.
This is the guitar played by Bob Dylan in his first ever electric show in 1965 at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The guitar fetched US$965,000 at auction back in 2013.
Duane Allman's second entry on this list is all about his '57 Gibson Les Paul gold top, which sold at auction for US$1.25 million in 2019.
This guitar owned by The Rolling Stones' famous guitarist was auctioned off in 2003 and sold for a whopping US$1 million.
David Gilmore used this Martin D-35 (center) extensively throughout his career, including the recording sessions of Pink Floyd's 1973 album 'Dark Side Of The Moon.' It broke the US$1 million mark in 2019.
The King famously used this guitar in his recording sessions at Sun Studios in Memphis. In 2020, Elvis Presley's "Sun Sessions" Martin sold for US$1,320,000 at auction.
While 'Blackie' is arguably Clapton's most famous guitar, it certainly isn't his most expensive. The top spot goes to his psychedelic SG, painted by a Dutch art collective named 'The Fool.' In 2023, it was sold to guitar collector Jim Irsay for US$1,270,000.
This was the guitar used by David Gilmour in the recording of Pink Floyd's 1979 album 'The Wall.' It was first owned by country star Rex Gallion. The guitar fetched US$1,815,000 in 2019.
Jerry Garcia's 'Wolf' guitar is yet another masterpiece made by luthier Doug Irvin. The guitar was bought by then-Hubspot CEO Brian Halligan in 2017. He paid US$1.9 million for it and all proceedings went to Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jimi Hendrix played his 1968 Stratocaster called 'Izabella' at the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival. While it's now on display at a Seattle museum, it was once bought by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for around US$2 million.
This guitar, signed by numerous rock stars, including Brian Adams, was sold at action for US$2.7 million. The proceedings went to the nonprofit Reach Out to Asia to help victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
John Lennon's iconic acoustic guitar was purchased in 1962 and used in numerous live performances and recording sessions. It sold for US$2.41 million in 2015.
Van Halen fans will remember this guitar from the 'Hot For Teacher' music video. The legendary instrument fetched US$3,932,000 at auction in 2023.
From 2019 to 2022 David Gilmour's 'Black Strat' was the world's most expensive electric guitar.
The Nirvana front man used this Japanese Sonic Blue Mustang during the 'In Utero' tour, including his last show. It was bought at auction in 2023 by Japanese businessman Mitsuru Sato for US$1,587,500.
Kurt Cobain's Martin sold at auction for US$6,010,000 in 2020.
Sources: (Livewire) (Guitar.com) (LeftyFretz)
This is the guitar used by Nirvana's front man in the band's music video of their hit 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' Kurt Cobain's Fender Mustang sold for US$4,550,00 at auction in 2022.
The guitar Kurt Cobain famously played in Nirvana's 1994 'MTV Unplugged' is (so far) the world's most expensive guitar.
High-quality instruments often come with a hefty price tag, but when it comes to iconic guitars, numbers can get astronomically high. While paying millions of dollars for a guitar might be out of reach for most guitar players and collectors, some people have paid for the privilege of owning some of the world's most unique instruments.
Some of the guitars that shaped music history have been sold at auction, and in this gallery, you'll get to know the most expensive ones. Click on to discover which are currently the most expensive guitars in the world.
The world's most expensive guitars
Some iconic guitar sold for millions
MUSIC Instruments
High-quality instruments often come with a hefty price tag, but when it comes to iconic guitars, numbers can get astronomically high. While paying millions of dollars for a guitar might be out of reach for most guitar players and collectors, some people have paid for the privilege of owning some of the world's most unique instruments.
Some of the guitars that shaped music history have been sold at auction, and in this gallery, you'll get to know the most expensive ones. Click on to discover which are currently the most expensive guitars in the world.