12 Most Expensive Guitars Ever Sold (2026 Updated List)

As of October 2026, the most expensive guitar ever sold is David Gilmour’s Black Strat, the Fender Stratocaster he played on Pink Floyd’s biggest albums. It sold for $14.55 million at Christie’s New York on 12 March 2026, in the auction of the late Colts owner Jim Irsay’s collection.

The Irsay sale reset the guitar market. Seven of the 12 guitars on this list were sold at Christie’s in 2026, including Jerry Garcia’s Tiger and Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang. Below are the 12 most expensive guitars ever sold, with prices including the buyer’s premium.

1. David Gilmour’s Black Strat: $14.55 million

The Black Strat is the 1969 Fender Stratocaster that David Gilmour used on The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. Gilmour sold it for charity in 2019, when Jim Irsay bought it for $3.975 million.

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At the Christie’s sale of Irsay’s collection in March 2026, it was estimated at $2 million to $4 million and sold for $14.55 million to a private collector. That more than doubled the previous record for any guitar.

2. Jerry Garcia’s Tiger: $11.56 million

Tiger is the custom guitar built by Doug Irwin that Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead played from 1979 to 1989. It is named after the tiger inlay on its body.

Jim Irsay bought it at Guernsey’s in 2002 for $957,500. It sold for $11.56 million at the Christie’s Irsay sale in 2026, more than 12 times what he paid.

3. Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit Mustang: $6.91 million

Kurt Cobain played this Fender Mustang in the 1991 music video for Smells Like Teen Spirit. It held the record for the most expensive electric guitar at $4.55 million when it sold in 2022.

The buyer was Jim Irsay, and when his collection went to auction at Christie’s in 2026 it sold for $6.91 million.

4. Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Martin D-18E: $6.01 million

Cobain played this 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York concert in November 1993. Julien’s Auctions sold it in June 2020 for $6.01 million.

The buyer, Australian businessman Peter Freedman, said he planned to display it to raise money for the arts. It was the world’s most expensive guitar until the 2026 Irsay sale.

5. Eric Clapton’s MTV Unplugged Martin 000-42: $4.1 million

Eric Clapton played this 1939 Martin 000-42 on his MTV Unplugged session in 1992, the recording that produced the acoustic version of Layla. It sold for $4.1 million at Christie’s in 2026.

6. Eddie Van Halen’s Striped Kramer: $3.93 million

Eddie Van Halen’s red, white and black striped Kramer was one of the most recognisable guitars of the 1980s. It sold at Sotheby’s in 2023 for $3.93 million, a record for Van Halen.

7. Eric Clapton’s The Fool Gibson SG: $3 million

The Fool is the 1964 Gibson SG that Dutch art collective The Fool painted in psychedelic colours for Clapton in 1967. He played it with Cream, including on the album Disraeli Gears. It sold for $3 million at Christie’s in 2026.

8. John Lennon’s Help! Framus 12-String: $2.86 million

John Lennon played this Framus Hootenanny 12-string guitar in the Beatles film Help! and on recordings including You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away. It was lost for more than 50 years and found in an attic in England.

Julien’s Auctions sold it in May 2024 for $2.86 million, a record for a Beatles guitar at the time.

9. Reach Out to Asia Fender Stratocaster: $2.7 million

Bryan Adams organised this white Fender Stratocaster for the Reach Out to Asia charity after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It was signed by 19 musicians, including Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney.

It sold for $2.7 million at a charity auction in Doha, Qatar, in 2005.

10. John Lennon’s 1962 Gibson J-160E: $2.41 million

John Lennon bought this Gibson J-160E acoustic electric guitar in 1962, and the Beatles used it in their early recordings, including Love Me Do. It went missing in late 1963 and reappeared about 50 years later.

Julien’s Auctions sold it for $2.41 million in November 2015.

11. David Gilmour’s Martin D-35: $2.39 million

Gilmour played this Martin D-35 acoustic guitar on Wish You Were Here and other Pink Floyd recordings. It sold for $2.39 million at the Christie’s Irsay sale in 2026.

12. George Harrison’s Gibson SG Standard: $2.27 million

George Harrison played this Gibson SG Standard in the Beatles’ promotional films for Paperback Writer and Rain in 1966 and during the Revolver sessions. It sold for $2.27 million at Christie’s in 2026.

Other famous guitars that sold for millions

Several guitars that appeared on earlier versions of this list are now outside the top 12. Jerry Garcia’s Wolf sold for $1.9 million at Guernsey’s in 2017. Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock Stratocaster was reportedly bought privately by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for about $2 million in 1998.

Eric Clapton’s Blackie sold for $959,500 in 2004, and Bob Dylan’s 1965 Newport Folk Festival Stratocaster sold for about $965,000 in 2013.

How we ranked these guitars

We ranked guitars by their public auction price, including the buyer’s premium, in US dollars. Private sales are not ranked because their prices are rarely confirmed. Prices are not adjusted for inflation.

A famous owner and a link to a well-known recording or performance count for far more than the instrument itself. For other record auction prices, see our lists of the most expensive paintings in the world and the most expensive pianos.

Sources: Guitar.com, Luxe Digital, Stereogum.