The most expensive guitars in the world

The popularity of musical instruments is so great that they are bought at auctions for fabulous sums. The most expensive guitar in the world is worth more than a Stradivarius violin and millions of dollars worth of rare collectibles.

Traditionally, the value of a thing is determined by its quality and the materials from which it was made, but this does not apply to guitars. Their price is influenced by the history associated with them. At the same time, it is not the essence of how the guitar sounds, and who created it: the fundamental point is to whom and when it belonged. For the personal instruments of cult musicians, fans do not hesitate to lay out a fortune. Which guitars are considered the most expensive in the world, we will consider in this article.

An expensive guitar differs from a cheap one by the inexpensive materials used in its manufacture. Guitars have their own criteria of prestige and status. John Groen, the owner of the guitar business, who became famous after the sale of the legendary Blackie Eric Clapton, considers musical instruments to be a profitable investment option. The passion for music as an art is growing, and wealthy fans of the great musicians are increasingly responding to auction offers.

There are many guitars in the world that cost tens of thousands of dollars, but instruments that cost hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars can be listed in one article. According to the competent specialist Carrie Keane, an employee of Christie's, the following factors influence the evaluation of the lot:

• design execution;
• the nature of the sound;
• manufacturer's brand (name of the master);
• place in history;
• tool condition;
• market demand;
• the popularity of the owner of the lot.

The most expensive guitar is not considered the most beautiful at all. It was originally a regular white guitar with no design features and no precious finish. It was not even owned by legendary musicians of world renown. However, she is still the most expensive in history due to chance.

This is an absolutely standard model with no background. Eminent guitarists have not touched her strings, but the instrument is good and is sold for good.

The tsunami that caused massive destruction and loss of life in Southeast Asia in 2004 touched the soul of Brian Adams, who founded the Reach out to Asia foundation. His goal was a charitable fundraiser to support the victims. There were not too many options to collect a decent amount. This is how the idea appeared to turn a typical "Stratocaster" into an auction lot, on the snow-white case of which many music stars were offered to sign. It was decorated with autographs by Adams himself, Mick Jagger, Sting, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and many others.

The first "painted" lot was bought by the emir from Qatar for $ 1 million. It is noteworthy that he chose to leave the lot at auction so that it could be resold again. In 2015, a new buyer appeared who did not regret 2.7 million. This time, the collector wished to hide his name from publicity.

The list of the most expensive guitars in the world includes instruments from well-known manufacturers and not only. The main thing that all these guitars have in common is that they belong to the legends of the musical Olympus.

The top list is opened by a tool that once belonged to Jimi Hendrix. Today its cost is almost $ 2 million. The great musician chose a 1968 Fender Stratocaster for his performance at the Woodstock Festival, which went down in history as one of the legendary events of the 20th century. Since then, the instrument has become incredibly popular, and its price has skyrocketed.

This guitar is called the Voodoo-Strat and is the hallmark of not only Hendrix himself, but also TM Fender. The musician made this Stratocaster famous by turning it into a rock and roll icon. In the hands of the greatest guitarist of all time, the instrument produced things that seemed fantastic to his contemporaries.

The sudden death of the musician, who passed away at the height of his fame and youth, only made his figure odious. Hendrix's Stratocaster was acquired in 1998 for 1.3 million by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The guitar that Jimmy drove fans crazy with on the Woodstock stage in August 1969 is now in his collection.

The guitar, owned by the late Grateful Dead leader, musician Jerry Garcia, is one of four pieces Doug Irwin made for him. Wolf was sold in 2002 at an anti-poverty auction for $ 1.9 million.

In the history of his musical life, the legendary Bob Marley owned only seven guitars. He had a special relationship with the Washburn 22 Hawk. But on the crest of popularity, the singer made an unexpected act, donating his favorite instrument to Gary Carlsen, a guitar master.

The new owner of the custom guitar, Bob Marley, received it in the early 70s from the musician himself. Marley accompanied his lavish gesture with a mysterious phrase that said the new owner would need the guitar for the business. What kind of business was meant, the singer did not specify, adding that Carlsen would understand everything later.

It is difficult to say what the musician meant by this, but after the death of Marley Carlsen disposed of the gift in his own way, organizing a charity lottery, putting it up as a prize.

Eric Clapton collected this model with his own hand from several instruments, spending about $ 300 on the venture. The instrument was named Blackie thanks to the glossy black body that Eric borrowed from a 1956 guitar. For 13 years, Clapton did not part with his favorite, having created 13 albums. In the end, Clapton decided to part with his beloved instrument. Everything happened in the name of a good cause: all the proceeds from the sale of this guitar were sent as financial support for the construction of a rehabilitation center. The lot cost the buyer $ 959,500.

The instruments of the legendary musician have always been sold at auctions for serious sums, while he himself did not always prefer an instrument of high value. The star bought six Stratocaster hybrid guitars for only $ 100. He gave three of them to friends, and kept the rest for himself.

The Grateful Dead musician has acquired a special guitar made with technology developed by Doug Irwin. For the neck and body of the instrument, not only traditional maple was used, but also exotic woods. Garcia called the instrument "Tiger" and played it in all public appearances. 22 years later, Tiger became an auction lot and sold for $ 957,500.

And again the instrument that once belonged to Clapton. The guitar went under the hammer for $ 847,500 solely because of the reputation and status of its original owner. Of course Gibson makes decent instruments, but if it wasn't for the famous musician who practiced solo on it in 1964, it wouldn't have cost so much.

The cost of the instrument was $ 800,000. Thanks to the fact that in 1959 it was acquired by Ace Frehley himself, the musician of Kiss. The sleek maple-bodied guitar, once in Frehley's hands, jumped in price.

This acoustic guitar doesn't have any fancy or precious design. Nevertheless, she appears on this list. The instrument was produced by the legendary Martin brand in 1939 (a company that has been making musical instruments since 1833). In 2004, Slowhand (Clapton's nickname) decided to take part in a charity event by selling his C. F. Martin & Co and donating the proceeds of $ 791,500 to good causes. After that, he switched to another Martin model.

In 1980, the instrument was presented to the musician by his beloved wife Lenny. The surprise in honor of the 26th birthday touched Stevie to the core. The superb Stratocaster was personally engraved with SRV (the musician's initials). In gratitude to his wife, Vaughn named the guitar after her.

At all of his performances, the blues star performed the best hits on this instrument. The musician was rarely seen with another instrument in his hands. Stevie Rae Vaughn tragically died in 1990. Otherwise, he would continue to light the audience with a valuable gift in his hands. The instrument ended up at auction 15 years ago, and $ 623,500 from its sale went to charity.

George Harrison was ranked 21st among the 100 Best Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone. For this reason, it is not surprising that his previously owned guitar turned out to be a very valuable auction lot.

The lead guitarist from the legendary Liverpool Four played this instrument in the band's video works, in front of thousands of people at London's Wembley Stadium, and he played all the riffs recorded during the Revolver period on it.

Then she found herself in the hands of Peter Ham, and after the death of the musician went to his brother John. For 30 years he was its owner, and in 2004 due to financial problems he was forced to sell the instrument to an unknown collector for $ 570,000.

The original owner of the guitar was Jimi Hendrix, a renowned guitar virtuoso. The hard rock legend became famous for the fact that he often set fire to guitars during a performance. The Fender Stratocaster (1965) faced the same fate. During a 1967 concert at London's Astoria venue, Hendrix set fire to the guitar, but the trick was unsuccessful. The musician suffered multiple burns and was hospitalized, discouraging his loyal fans. The guitar was also badly damaged by the fire, but not completely burned out. The rocker's friends managed to recover the damaged parts.

The resurrected instrument passed to the musician's assistant, Tony Garland, who abandoned the rarity in the garage. There, the guitar and gathering dust until 2007, until it was discovered by Garland's nephew. So the instrument turned out to be the lot of a London auction and became the property of Daniel Busher. For an elderly connoisseur of Hendrix's craftsmanship, the tool cost $ 493,000.

These guitars are not works of art, but they are of no less value and have left their mark on history. Sold at auctions for exorbitant sums, they became adornments in museum and private collections.