Since the sale of Blackie, Eric Clapton’s emblematic Stratocaster during the 1970s and 1980s, sold for nearly a million dollars in 2004, electric guitars that belonged to rock stars have been very popular in auction rooms. Last year, Noel Gallagher’s Gibson ES 355, broken on the day Oasis broke up in Paris in 2009, sold for €385,500. David Gilmour’s (Pink Floyd) legendary Black Strat went for $3,975,000 in 2019. Which made it the most expensive electric guitar in history.
The sale organized by Julien’s Auction from November 16 to 18 in Nashville contains its share of memorabilia: gold records, concert programs, stage outfits, vehicles… But the house which organized the sale a few years ago dispersion of some of Neil Young’s objects offers superb instruments. Notably the guitars of Frank Zappa, Slash, Van Halen, Kirk Hammett (Metallica). So many guitar heroes admired and celebrated. But the two most emblematic instruments belonged to Eric Clapton, canonical guitar hero, and Kurt Cobain, hero of the grunge generation.
Eric Clapton has already sold around a hundred of his favorite guitars during three sales intended to finance the drug treatment center he founded in Antigua at the end of the last century. However, one piece was missing: the Gibson SG with which he had become a superstar within the trio Cream, between 1966 and 1968. It is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic instruments of the sixties rock scene. Gifted to Clapton by George Harrison, it became his instrument of choice after being decorated with psychedelic motifs. The work of Simon and Marike, founders of the future Dutch collective The Fool, close to the Beatles and the London pop scene. At the request of Robert Stigwood, Cream’s manager, this guitar, as well as Jack Bruce’s bass and Ginger Baker’s bass drum, had been repainted in order to draw attention to the trio during their first American performance in 1967. But the innovation of this SG was not going to be based only on its visual appearance but also in its sound. It was in fact with her that Clapton developed his “woman tone”, a creamy distortion rich in harmonics that we hear on the tracks of the album Disraeli Gears, a masterpiece of the English psyche released in 1967; including the hit Sunshine of Your Love.
After the end of Cream, the guitar passed into the hands of George Harrison’s little protégé, Jackie Lomax, who sold it to Todd Rundgren. The latter extensively restored it before selling it in 2000 during a sale at Sotheby’s. Its current owner is unknown. It is expected that due to its unique appearance, and the iconic status of Eric Clapton’s guitar, the SG will fetch more than $2 million. Even if the Englishman’s rating has fallen significantly since his scandalous positions against anti-Covid vaccination and his recent appearance in support of Democratic candidate Robert Kennedy Jr, a notorious conspirator disavowed by his own clan.
If he did not redefine the place of the electric guitar in rock like his elder did, Kurt Cobain was one of the most emblematic guitarists of the 1990s thanks to the impact of his group, Nirvana. As we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the American band’s third and final album, In Utero, the musician’s favorite instrument at the time of this record resurfaces. Purchased new in 1993, this left-handed Fender Mustang made in Japan and renamed Skystang I was widely used by its illustrious owner.
It was with this one that Kurt Cobain played during his last performance with Nirvana, on March 1, 1994 in Munich, a few weeks before his suicide. Cobain liked this model so much that he ordered ten copies before the tour. Blue in color, Skystang I was delivered in July 1993. With another Mustang finished in red. Since the death of its owner, the guitar belonged to his brother Chad, who loaned it to various museums and showed it as part of an exhibition in 2011. Considering its exclusive user, the rating of this instrument should also fly away. It is possible that it will become the most expensive electric guitar in the world, which would allow Cobain to break a new record. His 1959 Martin D-18E, with which he played during the legendary MTV Unplugged concert in 1993, sold for more than $6 million in 2020.
