The historical significance and association with one of the greatest iconic musicians of all time make the musical instruments used and owned by Kurt Cobain, the frontman of Nirvana, highly valuable. Interestingly, even his broken equipment, especially his guitars, is no less treasured.
An auction house recently reported that a guitar that Kurt Cobain destroyed on stage during one of his performances sold for nearly $600,000, a price that significantly surpasses the original value of the instrument. The auctioneers had estimated the guitar to fetch only $60,000. Still, instead, it went for $595,000, making it an astounding sale, according to Julien’s Auctions, who facilitated the sale.
The smashed black Fender Stratocaster, which has since been restored, is unfortunately no longer playable, as per Kody Frederick of Julien’s Auctions. Interestingly, the guitar bears the signatures of all three members of the rock band, whose songs became national anthems for their fans.
“You can see here the break that took place as he slammed down the guitar, where the neck here kind of connects, as well as down here on the bottom where he slammed the guitar down,” Frederick told AFP earlier in May.
He further continued by saying, “Kurt Cobain, when he was on stage when he played, he was a machine. The man was angry, and you could feel that on stage. And you would feel that by the way he would treat his instruments. This broken element, in a strange way, from this broken musician, that really defined this rough and tumble era of music.”
Nirvana, a rock band famous for its iconic music, was dominated by Kurt Cobain’s genius songwriting skills. The band’s golden hits included “Come As You Are,” “Lithium,” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” released in 1991, which became anthemic for an entire generation of alienated teenagers.
Kurt Cobain’s substance addiction, depression, and tumultuous marriage sent him down the path of self-destruction. In the end, he committed suicide to put an end to his pain. The recently sold guitar bears testimony to an era of unforgettable music that has impacted music lovers across the globe.
The auction also included items belonging to other famous musicians like Eddie Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Bill Wyman, and Janet Jackson, which were put on sale and concluded over a three-day period ending on Sunday.
