Top 30 Most Expensive Guitars in the world 2023

One of John Lennon’s early guitars, this Hofner was said to have been bought primarily for songwriting purposes. Although there is no record of John Lennon ever playing the guitar, George Harrison claims in a handwritten letter that it was one of Lennon’s first instruments.

John Lennon allegedly gave this guitar to a roadie for the Beatles. The Hofner was purchased for £205,250
(about $337,200 at the time) at Christie’s Auction House in July 2009.

$337,200

Only 15 of these guitars were ever made, and only 10 are thought to still be in existence. Another of these that was formerly owned by Roy Rogers is listed above. These guitars are frequently regarded as the best representations of the early American guitar era.

It is not too shocking to see the original sell for such a high amount considering that a contemporary version of this instrument sells for over $100,000! For $366,000, this specific model was sold in April 2014.

$366,000

The Fender Telecaster, one of the most well-known guitars in the world, got its start with this instrument.

Additionally, the solid-body guitar’s design was what made it popular. Leo Fender created this guitar in 1949, and in 1994, a private collector purchased it for:

$375,000.

Hendrix had owned this 1964 Jazzmaster, which he eventually gave to Billy Davis, a buddy and fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

Hendrix is thought to have had some of his first guitar lessons from Davis, who is also credited with teaching him some of his flamboyant stage antics, including playing the guitar behind his back or with his teeth. It sold at Julien’s Auctions for the same amount ($384,000), in the same month (May 2022), as the Alex Lifeson Gibson.

$384,000

Rush used this semi-hollow, which Lifeson dubbed “Whitey,” on most of their albums and frequently performed it live.

The instrument outperformed its $300k initial estimate by selling for $384,000 in May 2022 at Julien’s Auctions. At the same time, Lifeson’s 1976 Gibson Dove acoustic sold for $128,000.

$384,000

Jimi Hendrix played this sunburst Stratocaster between 1967 and 1968.

Hendrix spent about $350 on the guitar, which he later gave to his brother Leon.

This Hendrix-owned strat was sold in April 2015 for just $322,272, instead of the widely anticipated price of over $500,000 ($388,338 with buyer’s premium). Still…1,000 times more than Jimi paid for it!

$500,000

In December 1968, Fender gave this solid rosewood guitar to George Harrison. An all-rosewood Strat was also created at the same time for Jimi Hendrix, but it was never delivered to the musician before his passing.

Harrison is renowned for using the Telecaster during the Beatles’ final live concert, which took place atop the Apple building in London. It is performed at numerous points throughout “Abbey Road” and appeared in the 1970 Beatles film “Let It Be.” In September 2003, this rosewood beauty sold for $434,750, far exceeding its original estimate of $250k to $300k.

$434,750

The guitar is the “Layla.” This 1956 Strat was with Clapton during Cream (brie fully) and Derek & the Dominoes, and it is currently housed at Paul Allen’s Experience Music Project in Seattle, Washington valued at:

$450,000

This gold leaf Stratocaster, which is another Clapton instrument on the list, was made just for the musician by Fender’s master craftsman Mark Kendrick. Clapton used it on the 1997 Legends tour and again in 2001, after which it was sold to Christie’s Auction House. Supposedly, Clapton sought a guitar he could “hang in a museum.” Valued at:

$455,000.

During the summer of 1963, when his Gretsch Country Gentleman was getting fixed at a music store in Manchester, George Harrison played this guitar.

Harrison ended up retaining the Maton for a few weeks and using it throughout multiple gigs, even though the guitar was fixed that very day.

Roy Barber of Dave Berry and the Cruisers later bought it when it was returned to the shop. He used it for a while before retiring, storing it for two decades before selling it at auction in 2002. most recently for a cool $490k to a British private collector in May 2015.

$490,000

This 1966 Dakota Red Fender Mustang is another instrument on the list that was originally owned by Jimi Hendrix. When recording albums like “Axis Bold as Love” and “Electric Ladyland,” the red offset was used.

This Mustang is a member of the Fender L Series, which included some of the final instruments produced before CBS acquired the company. For $490,000, Julien’s Auctions sold it in April 2007.

$490,000

Eric Clapton played ‘Brownie,’ a 1956 Fender Stratocaster, for most of the early 1970s, most notably with his band Derek and the Dominos.

It is famously depicted on the record cover of his first solo release, “Eric Clapton.”

After Clapton discovered and fell in love with guitar number 11 on our list, “Blackie,” in 1971, “Brownie,” became his backup instrument.

Despite having a price range of $80k to $100k, it was sold for an astounding $497,500 at Christie’s Auction House in June 1999.

$497,500

In June 2015, a charity auction featured a guitar inscribed by Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann.

It was used during the third and last anniversary concert, which was billed as the Grateful Dead’s last live performance with its four surviving members.

Despite bids starting at $5000, the guitar eventually brought in over $500,000, which was divided among 17 organizations chosen by the band.

$500,000

Image Source: dangelicoguitars

Graham Nash gave Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead this 1955 Fender Stratocaster in 1970.

Between 1971 and 1973, the alligator became Garcia’s go-to instrument, and it can be heard on the band’s live album “Europe ’72.”

This guitar, like Garcia’s “Wolf” guitar above, got its moniker from a sticker applied to the body. The guitar’s final price of $524,000 at Bonhams Auction House in December 2019 well exceeded its original estimate of $250–400,000.

$524,000

Between 1966 and 1969, George Harrison and John Lennon both played this guitar; it can be heard on Revolver and the White album valued at:

$570,000

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Stratocaster, “Lenny,” was given that moniker after his wife, who gave it to him for his birthday in 1980 and purchased the 1965-era instrument. Jimmy, Stevie’s brother, gave the guitar to Guitar Center after Stevie passed away in a helicopter accident in 1990. The guitar was then sold at auction valued at:

$623,500

After the 1992 release of the popular song “Tears in Heaven,” Clapton made a comeback and used this guitar to play an acoustic set on MTV Unplugged. He then auctioned it off to benefit the Crossroads Rehabilitation Center valued at:

$791,500

During his time with the Yard Birds, Cream, Blind Faith, and John Mayall’s Blues breakers, Clapton played this guitar. This was the third-highest price paid for a guitar at the time it was auctioned off at Christie’s in 2004 valued at :

$847,500.

Perhaps Clapton’s most recognizable guitar is Blackie. According to his account, Clapton bought six Stratocaster guitars from a Texas guitar store. He subsequently parted with three to make Blackie, a guitar he would use for the following fifteen years, and gave the other three away (to Harrison, Townshend, and Win Wood). Clapton auctioned off this guitar, along with a number of others, to benefit the Crossroads Rehab Center valued at :

$959,000.

One of the most renowned guitars in rock music is definitely this one. Peter Green, who rose to fame in 1965 after taking Eric Clapton’s place in John Mayall and the Blues breakers, was its original owner. Two years later, Peter joined Fleetwood Mac, with whom he co-wrote Black Magic Woman, one of the anthems of rock music sold at a price of (estimated; no public price information provided).

$1.0 Million

Bob Marley had a limited collection of guitars. This Washburn became his notoriety’s instrument, albeit an exact number is not recorded in official records. Marley rarely used the Washburn, which he gave to his guitar tech, Gary Carlson, even though it was allegedly one of the first electric Washburn guitars ever built. The guitar has been declared a national treasure by the government of Jamaica valued at:

$1.2 million.

In 1973, Jerry Garcia paid Doug Irwin $1,500 for a special order of this guitar. It became his primary electric guitar, which he played frequently up until 1979 and occasionally beyond after it was valued at:

$1.9 million

Hendricks is renowned for using this legendary guitar at Woodstock. It was installed at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the hometown of Jimmy Hendrix, for a cost of $2 million provided by Paul Allen valued at:

$2 million

The fact that Beatles memorabilia is among the most costly and in high demand shouldn’t come as a surprise. And there is nothing better for writing songs and recording them in the studio than John Lennon’s own acoustic guitar from the early days of the Beatles. Some of the band’s biggest songs, such as All My Loving, Love Me Do, and From Me to You, were among these valued:

$2.41 million

A signed Fender Stratocaster was auctioned off to help raise funds for the 2004 tsunami relief efforts, and not just anyone signed it. Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mick Jigger, Ronnie Wood, Brian May, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Tony Iommi, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, members of Defense Leppard, Bryan Adams, Liam Gallagher, and Paul McCartney are just a few of the legends whose signatures can be found on this guitar. The guitar helped Reached Out to Asia, a charity established to aid tsunami victims, raise NEARLY.

$3 million.

Image source: Fender wiki

If you enjoy Pink Floyd, you already know how unique David Gilmour is and how precious this instrument was to him. David mostly played this guitar for the band’s best songs, and you could nearly always catch him performing it live valued at $3,975,000.

$4 million.

Image: christies

Although this guitar was launched this year, it has become the second most expensive guitar in the world in no time, the Fender Mustang played by Kurt Cobain in the video “Smells Like Teen Spirit“, this guitar became very popular and This guitar sold for:

$4.5 million.

Image: Julian’s Auction

This guitar is the most expensive guitar ever sold, so let’s now talk about why this guitar is so expensive. This guitar was bought by Peter Friedman at auction for his personal collection. This guitar is the world’s most expensive guitar. It demonstrated that the band could be as brutal and dynamic in their acoustic setting as they could be during their energetic live concerts.

Because this guitar is the most expensive guitar in the world, only then its price is very high, so the price of this guitar is 6 million dollars. which is a huge amount

$6 million

Image: Getty Image