# Most expensive guitars ever sold **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 13, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435 "2026-03-13T23:30:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/1 "2026-03-13T23:30:11Z")
Yesterday a part of the late Jim Irsay’s music memorabilia collection was auctioned off, bringing in a total of over $84 million. Sold as part of that collection were several of the most expensive guitars ever sold: - David Gilmore’s “Black Strat”, estimated at $2-4 million, sold for $14.5 million - Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger”, estimated at $1-2 million, sold for $11.5 million - Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang, sold for $6.9 million - Eric Clapton’s Martin 000-42, sold for $4.1 million Before yesterday’s auction, the highest price ever paid for a guitar was $6 million. Pretty high prices for a bunch of used guitars, if you ask me. (jk) > **[Jerry Garcia "Tiger" Guitar Sells For $11.5 Million At Auction, Obliterating...](https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/jerry-garcia-tiger-guitar-sells-for-11-5-million-at-auction/)** > > A legendary guitar once owned by Jerry Garcia, known as "Tiger," sold for $11,560,000, far exceeding the auction estimate of $1–2 million. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/2 "2026-03-13T23:46:21Z")
That’s insane! Paying that much for a guitar just because a great guitarist played it is like paying millions of dollars for a frame just because the Mona Lisa was _once_ displayed in it. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/3 "2026-03-13T23:50:45Z")
I think the same argument can be made for baseball cards, comic books or even art itself. The value is very artificial and enough people have far too much money to waste on these things. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/4 "2026-03-14T03:56:02Z")
If you have the disposable means, I bet it’s pretty sweet to listen to the greatest music ever made (arguably) and holding the guitar that made it / is in it. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/5 "2026-03-14T08:01:27Z")
It might be safe to assume they were bought by long-term older fans who’d seen these groups play and now that they were obscenely rich could indulge their passion seriously. Good luck to them, but the generation that knew Nirvana, Grateful Dead etc as performers is starting to die out. Will the magic of these guitars outlive them? Will they become interestingly provenanced but essentially ho-hum musical instruments from forgotten oldies performers - like a George Gershwin piano, or a banjo that George Formby played? Famous as guitars that people paid stupid money for? And how soon will that happen? Nirvana is they youngest band, but I saw them in 1992, 34 years ago, and while they all performed after that, it was after their peak. People younger than me probably have not heard of any of those bands unless their parents made them. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/6 "2026-03-14T12:19:26Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > now that they were obscenely rich could indulge their passion seriously. That is it. For someone with billions or hundreds of millions, 5-10 million for a knick knack is chump change. I can grok the high price for a signature instrument used over time or on a major album, but the ones that get me are the Martins used on Unplugged. Martins are pretty widely available, and neither Cobain nor Clapton are really known as acoustic players. But if you have essentially unlimited cash and the opportunity to own an axe once played by your hero… ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/7 "2026-03-14T13:42:48Z")
[Jeff Beck’s entire collection](https://www.christies.com/events/jeff-beck-the-guitar-collection/what-is-on#highlights) (scroll about halfway down for the virtual tour) sold for a little over $11.5 million last year. Seems like a bargain compared to these single-guitar offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/8 "2026-03-14T22:00:53Z")
Indeed, especially since he was a thousand times the guitarist the four guys mentioned above were, combined. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/9 "2026-03-14T22:06:22Z")
Now that is silly. Clapton was a master and David Gilmore is incredible. I’m not convinced Beck is much better than either, never mind a 1000 times. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/10 "2026-03-14T22:11:27Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > The value is very artificial I disagree. If something sells for $14.5M, then that’s the real value of it. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/11 "2026-03-14T22:25:01Z")
Has there ever been a public auction of an instrument used by a famous classical composer? Like a piano used by Beethoven or Mozart? I would think that such a thing would bring a similarly huge price, even though no one alive had ever heard the composer play on it. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/12 "2026-03-14T22:47:22Z")
A piano used by John Lennon recently sold for 2.5M GBP (~3.3M USD) (And that was just used for composing some songs on Sgt Pepper.) ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/13 "2026-03-15T00:05:04Z")
Lennon’s piano was sold at the same auction that sold the guitars mentioned in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/14 "2026-03-28T00:31:53Z")
If you have unlimited money to waste … The good Beatles tribute bands play matched instruments. Beatnix is an Aus band. Analogues is a Dutch band. If you want to sound like the Beatles, you use the same instruments. Obviously, easy way to do that is to just buy the actual instruments used. “Look I can sound like Carcia! (plays Garcia’s guitar)”. Kind of fun if you have unlimited money. Can’t do that with baseball cards. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/15 "2026-03-28T01:51:18Z")
Just hours after it was bought, Jerry’s Tiger guitar was indeed being played in front of an audience, by Derek Trucks (who wasn’t the buyer). > **[“We knew that if Tiger went somewhere else, it was most likely going to be...](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/guitarists/derek-trucks-plays-jerry-garcia-tiger-hours-after-12m-sale)** > > The second most expensive guitar of all time is already playing out its new owner’s promise of an active second life Trucks talks about playing it: > **[Derek Trucks Talks Playing Jerry Garcia's "Tiger" Guitar On 'Stern' \[Watch\]](https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/derek-trucks-jerry-garcia-tiger-guitar-howard-stern/)** > > Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi stopped by 'The Howard Stern Show' to talk about playing the Jerry Garcia "Tiger" guitar at the Beacon. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/16 "2026-03-31T23:03:57Z")
In a sad twist, Doug Irwin, the luthier who created Garcia’s Tiger guitar as well as many other guitars used by Garcia and other musicians, died on March 27, just two weeks after Tiger was sold. > **[Doug Irwin, Luthier Behind Jerry Garcia's Most Famous Guitars, Dies At 76](https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/doug-irwin-luthier-jerry-garcia-guitars-dies/?mc_cid=52769d0049&mc_eid=0ba6000ba2)** > > Doug Irwin, the master luthier whose work became synonymous with Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia, has died. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/17 "2026-03-31T23:39:44Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Has there ever been a public auction of an instrument used by a famous classical composer? Like a piano used by Beethoven or Mozart? I would think that such a thing would bring a similarly huge price, even though no one alive had ever heard the composer play on it. Auction I cannot say, but I went to an event at the Musical Instrument Museum showcasing vintage violins, and they noted that one being played\* was “Bach’s\*\* favorite violin.” And we know what Strads or del gesus go for. \*by Rachel Barton Pine \*\*Might not have been Bach, but I was lost contemplating the history that violin had seen, and the connection through time. And I forgot who they were talking about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-expensive-guitars-ever-sold/1028435/18 "2026-04-01T01:04:15Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just hours after it was bought, Jerry’s Tiger guitar was indeed being played in front of an audience, by Derek Trucks (who wasn’t the buyer). That was pretty cool, including the interview on Stern. I was going to joke that Trucks needed back surgery after hefting that thing, but he talked about how heavy it was. I moved to a lighter bass because two hours of a 10 lb bass was getting to me. How did Jerry do their long shows, day after day, hefting a 13 lb monstrosity?