Pink Floyd Guitarist David Gilmour’s Black Stratocaster – The New ‘World's Most Expensive Guitar’
- 2 days ago
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The astounding results are in from the Jim Irsay collection of music memorabilia recently auctioned at Christie’s in New York. Forty‑four items sold for a total of $84 million. The star of the event—and the new holder of the highest‑priced guitar ever sold—was David Gilmour’s Black Stratocaster, which fetched an astonishing $14.6 million. Gilmour first played “The Black Strat” live at the Bath Festival in 1970 and went on to use it for many Pink Floyd recordings, including classics like “Money” and “Comfortably Numb.”
The Black Strat had already set a record in 2019 when it sold for just under $4 million, but that mark was later surpassed by one of Kurt Cobain’s prized guitars, the Martin used for Nirvana's 'MTV Unplugged' concert. Now, Gilmour’s instrument has reclaimed the title by a massive margin.
David originally bought the guitar at Manny’s Music in New York City and spent years modifying it—experimenting with different fretboards, tuners, and pickups to shape its sound. While the original purchase price isn’t known, there’s a certain irony in the fact that Manny’s Music in 1970 was just a street away from Christie’s in 2026, where the guitar sold for at least $14.6 million more than its initial value.
A replay of the auction is available on YouTube. The final price was truly eye‑popping, especially considering Christie’s had estimated it would sell for $2–4 million.
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