Los Angeles

Kurt Cobain's 'MTV Unplugged' Guitar Fetches $6 Million At Beverly Hills Auction

June 22, 2020 / 2:31 PM PDT / KCAL News

click to expand

BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) — The guitar played by the late Kurt Cobain during the 1993 "MTV Unplugged" concert sold for a whopping $6 million at an auction in Beverly Hills over the weekend.

Julien's Auctions says the 1959 Martin D-18 E-Guitar sold for more than three times its pre-sale estimate.

The guitar was played by Cobain during the now iconic performance. He died of suicide a few months later.

Co-owner of Julien's Auctions, Martin Nolan displays the guitar used by musician Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's famous MTV Unplugged in New York concert in 1993, at the Hard Rock Cafe Piccadilly Circus in central London on May 15, 2020, prior to the auction of the guitar in Beverly Hills in June. - The 1959 Martin D-18E featured in the band's performance in November 1993, five months before Cobain's death at the age of 27. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)

The new owner of the guitar is Australian businessman Peter Freedman of Rode Microphones. Freedman says he plans to display the guitar in a worldwide tour of exhibitions with proceeds going to the performing arts.

Prince's Blue Angel guitar, which was his primary instrument on tour during the 1980s, also sold during the weekend auction for $563,000, also about triple it's pre-sale estimate.

KCAL 9
Beverly Hills