David Gilmour’s fabled “Black Strat” has regained its crown as the most expensive guitar ever sold, fetching a record-smashing $14.55 million at a Christie’s auction of late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s expansive collection.
The subject of a book by Gilmour’s longtime guitar technician, Phil Taylor, the Black Strat was played on every Pink Floyd album from 1970 to 1983, as well as all four of Gilmour’s solo albums. This includes stone-cold classics Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall, where it was used to record “Money,” “Comfortably Numb,” and “Shine on You Crazy Diamond.”
This staggering amount more than doubles the previous record held by Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Martin D-18E, which sold for $6 million in 2020. That sale broke the $3.975 million record that Irsay set when he purchased the Black Strat the year before.
Other notable sales during the auction include Jerry Garcia’s “Tiger” guitar ($11.56 million), which he played almost exclusively from 1979 to 1989, and Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang ($6.9 million) from the music video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Editor’s Note: See where David Gilmour lands on our list of the Best Guitar Players of All Time.
