Previous Next Latest

Kurt Cobain’s Smashed Guitar Sells for $100,000 At Auction

12/24/08, 11:10 am EST

Kurt Cobain’s smashed Fender Mustang guitar was sold at auction for $100,000, making it the second-highest selling Cobain item ever. “It’s a really cool-looking guitar because it’s smashed and held together with duct tape and Kurt Cobain wrote on it,” a curator at Seattle’s Experience Music Project said. The ax dates back to Nirvana’s first U.S. tour, where Cobain it onstage in New Jersey. Staying with a musician named Sluggo at the time, Cobain traded the destroyed guitar for a working one for his next gig. Sluggo, who was in bands like the Grannies and Hullabaloo, held on to the guitar through the decades, eventually lending it to the Experience Music Project for display.

Despite the sale, Sluggo hopes the new owner will allow the guitar return to Seattle in 2010 for a planned Cobain exhibit. “There’s not a huge amount of broken Nirvana guitars out there,” the curator added, saying most of Cobain’s destroyed guitars were “little slivers and fragments.” In 2006, a Mosrite Gospel Mark IV guitar — which was probably still in working condition — owned by Cobain sold for $131,000. Cobain has been a popular auction block attraction in recent years, with Courtney Love also selling everything from Kurt’s cardigans to his bass guitar to handwritten lyrics for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to the highest bidder, which she hoped would be in the $40 million range. For more on that auction and many more of rock’s most-prized items on the block, check out our Rock’s Rarest Artifacts gallery.

Related Stories:

Rock’s Rarest Artifacts: The Most Expensive Memorabilia in Music

John Lennon’s Organ, Cobain’s Bass Guitar Highlight Punk/Rock Auction

Writer Charles R. Cross Digs Deep in the Archives For “Cobain Unseen”


Previous Next Latest

Comments

Satan | 12/24/2008, 2:16 pm EST

If I see one more picture of that broken down heroin addict with angels’ wings im gonna puke.

KimsDeeler | 12/24/2008, 2:20 pm EST

Dear World,

Stop raping Kurt.

Sincerely,
Kurt

holed | 12/24/2008, 3:58 pm EST

Courtney is a ho. stop pimpin’ kurdt’s soul

Tupac | 12/25/2008, 11:16 am EST

Kut Cobain sucks the big one.

eric | 12/25/2008, 11:41 am EST

Ironic that one of music’s WORST guitarists guitar could sell for so much.

Brandon | 12/25/2008, 6:23 pm EST

Eric is a moron. clearly Kurdt did something right. get out there and do something yourself to earn the right to hate.

tktree805@aol.com | 12/25/2008, 8:10 pm EST

screw u he was is so much pain, physically and mentally. If I could get to u I would show u what it feels like to be so sad. u make me puke pig ass

tktree805@aol.com | 12/25/2008, 8:52 pm EST

KURT WAS AWESOME
HE STARTED SOMTHING THAT WAS TREMENDOUS AND YOU INSULT HIM
LETS SEE YOU DO BETTER
BUT YOU CANT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE OLD NEWS YOU WOUL ACTUALLY HAVE TO GET A BRAIN AND AN ORIGINAL IDEA
TOO MUCH FOR A MORON LIKE YOU
LOOK AT HIS SALES AND LET ME KNOW LATER WHAT YOU COULD DO THAT WOULD EVEN COME CLOSE STUPID IDIOTS
WHAT ARE U THINKING HE WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY AND YOU WILL BE JUST ANOTHER NUMBER YOU MAKE ME SICK JUST A BUNCH OF JEALOUS JERKS WHO HAVE DONE NOTHING WITH THEIR LIVES LOSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tktree805@aol.com | 12/25/2008, 9:04 pm EST

PLUS
HE WAS CUTE AND SWEET AND GENTLE WITH A GOOD HEART. HE NEVER HURT ANYONE BUT HIMSELF

Satan | 12/26/2008, 11:14 am EST

My NAME is Satan, human douchebag. You will see Kurt here with me. He’s shooting himself up with the purest heroin you could imagine, 24/7. The angels’ wings are a slap in my face.

peetard | 12/26/2008, 1:21 pm EST

First off ERIC even if your statement was true, that would not be irony, you’re a douche. Secondly Kurt was not a “guitarist”, he was a songwriter, and a one who changed so much with his words and ryt many people at the time and still today

ashley | 12/26/2008, 1:38 pm EST

the guitar wasn’t sold at auction – it was a private sale

Anonymous | 12/26/2008, 3:44 pm EST

Courney Love. How could he ever tap that skankadoo? She is selling K’s stuff? What a scumbag!

Ann Marie Simard | 12/26/2008, 5:22 pm EST

Yes, stop trolling now. This is a *wonderful* story as it is a wonderful entry and news item. How can you bash that type of talent? There is some serious genius in there right down to famous last words quoting good Neil, “better to burn out than it is to rust”. It was his choice and better pay some respect towards the big picture. Thanks

Chris Novaselic | 12/26/2008, 7:33 pm EST

I remember when we bought that guitar. We found it and haggled the owner down to $20 for it.

I’m proud of Kurdt’s legacy.

Fuck C-Love.

Tupac | 12/27/2008, 11:39 am EST

Yo Novselic – you suck the big one too.

Biggie | 12/27/2008, 11:51 am EST

Kurt sucks at guitar, songs, life hell he doesn’t even know how to use a gun. Fool.

Hah! | 12/27/2008, 3:40 pm EST

“Chris Novaselic”. Yeah, that’s just how he spells it, if he can remember how to spell after taking his bass right on his head. Nirvana is beyond overrated. If Kurt were alive today he would be in the same boat as Steven Adler.

kurt | 12/27/2008, 9:18 pm EST

people who hate kurt are dickheads!he was awesome!!!and go fuck ur self satan

BupphaBlog.com | 12/28/2008, 4:49 am EST

I like his music very much. I have no idea why he took his own life. Such a tragic!

Anonymous | 12/28/2008, 2:11 pm EST

Courtney once said she’s saving the lyrics to Smells like Teen Spirit for Frances…so what happened now?? The money/dope-hungry bitch clearly couldn’t get enough. Leave Kurt the hell alone! He’s dead and you’re still milking the shit out of him! And to those bashing Kurt now, screw you! He may not be the best guitarist but he sure moved legions with his songwriting and music…and most of all, the fans could relate to him. I did at that time and it wasn’t because he looked cute or he’s a great guitarist.

Satan | 12/28/2008, 3:26 pm EST

HAHAHA!!! Sacks of fucking meat. How important they think they are.

Werner Wichmann | 12/28/2008, 3:53 pm EST

Its a good collectors item. $100 000 for a guitar you can’t play though.

kris | 12/28/2008, 7:42 pm EST

oka all these comments are stupid and its pointless to fight over if kurt could play guitar or write songs or what the hell ever.. and his guitar was sold..so what..material item people! dude has been dead like 15 years..who gives a shit anymore..his music was good..and he was great..i agree..so if you have negative statements to make then just dont..apparently you must have SOME intrest in kurt since you clicked on this thing to make a comment!!

lol | 12/28/2008, 10:17 pm EST

..or have interest in the fact that someone who’s a nirvana fanatic buys a broken guitar.

that’s me

rga121 | 12/30/2008, 2:48 pm EST

kurt is god…deal with it

Fozzie Bear | 12/31/2008, 2:32 pm EST

Kurt IS God. A Grimy Old Dildo!!!! WOCKA WOCKA WOCKA

yeller | 2/10/2009, 9:50 pm EST

kurt cobain is freakishly awesome. i love his music and the people that don’t affend e because that is there opinion. thank you kurt for your music that means so much. i know he is dead but that doesn’t mean hes not the best effect making ,insanely sounds, and greatest guitar player ever. thanks christ, dave and kurt.

alternapes 4 profit | 2/27/2009, 5:11 pm EST

Kurt Cobain was the smartest idiot I have ever seen.

thekindone | 7/12/2009, 10:18 am EST

if he was still alive today i would praise him and all of you making fun of him should kill yourself

CHIP | 10/26/2009, 10:22 am EST

KURT COBAIN WAS A FUCKING ABSOLUTE GENIUS IN MY OPINION AND THE WAY HE PREFORMED AT NIRVANA UNPLUGGED WILL PROVE THAT.HE MADE NIRVANA ONLY THAT HE HAD A FUCKED UP CHILDHOOD AND SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION.ITS REALLY SAD AT 27 YEARS OF AGE TO GO AND DO SOMETHING LIKE HE DID.KURT COBAIN NO 1

Post A Comment

Caution: Off-topic comments will be deleted

Name:

Comments:



Advertisement

Advertisement