The guitar had been a source of contention during Frances Bean Cobain's divorce settlement
The guitar played by Kurt Cobain during Nirvana's famous 'MTV Unplugged' gig has sold for a record amount at auction.
The 1959 Martin D-18E was used by Cobain at the gig in November 1993, just months before he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The guitar had been in the possession of Cobain's daughter Frances, but had been a source of contention after she gave it to her ex-husband Isaiah Silver as a wedding gift. When they split and she tried to reclaim it, he maintained that he was the rightful owner and kept it in their divorce settlement.
Now, auction house Julien's have sold the guitar - which came accompanied with its "original hard-shell case decorated by Cobain with a flyer from the punk rock band Poison Idea’s 1990 album Feel the Darkness," according to the listing. "Three baggage claim ticket stubs are attached to the handle, along with an Alaska Airlines sticker affixed to the case. The storage compartment of the case also contains Cobain’s half used pack of Martin guitar strings, three guitar picks, and his suede 'stash' bag decorated with a miniature silver spoon, fork, and knife."
The cardigan worn by Cobain during the MTV Unplugged performance had been auctioned several years ago.
The buyer was Peter Freedman, CEO of Rode Microphones, who paid a whopping $6 million (€5.35 million) at the auction over the weekend. He told PA that he was "scared shitless and shaking" after the auction ended. "I paid for it but I’m going to use it to highlight the plight of artists worldwide by touring it around," he said. "And then I’m going to sell it and use the dough for that as well, later."
It's the highest amount that a guitar has ever fetched at auction, beating the €3.46m paid for David Gilmour's Fender Stratocaster last year.