Prince played the blindingly blue guitar with the artist’s “love” symbol on its neck beginning on the 1984 Purple Rain Tour, as well as on the classic albums “Lovesexy” and “Sign O’ The Times.” He used it into the early 1990s.Īrchivists going through Prince’s possessions at his Paisley Park home and musical headquarters in Minnesota recently found the guitar that was thought to be lost during the four years since his death from an overdose at age 57.Īlso Friday, a macrame belt that Elvis Presley wore about 30 times on stage brought in nearly 10 times its expected price, with a final bid of $298,000, and an ivory gown worn by Madonna in her 1990 “Vogue” video sold for $179,200. 18, 1993, show in New York that came less than five months before the singer and songwriter died at age 27.Ī day earlier at the same auction event, a custom guitar played by Prince at the height of his stardom in the 1980s and 1990s sold for $563,500, a small sum compared with the Cobain guitar but well over the $100,000 to $200,000 it was expected to fetch. Musically they took a lot of chances, Beth McCarthy-Miller, director of MTV. The bids opened at $1 million for the sale that ended up breaking several world records.Ĭobain used it to play tunes including “About a Girl” and “All Apologies” at the Nov. Nirvanas Unplugged Performance Showed Another Side Of Kurt Cobain. The 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain played in the band’s rare acoustic performance and subsequent live album was sold to Australian Peter Freedman, owner of Røde Microphones, at the Music Icons event run by Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, Calif. > Grunge became gold Saturday as the guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s 1993 “MTV Unplugged” performance months before his death sold for an eye-popping $6 million at auction. Kurt Cobain ’s daughter settled her divorce to ex Isaiah Silva on. Kurt Cobain's 'MTV Unplugged' guitar sells for 6 million at auction Bids opened at 1 million for the sale that ended up breaking several world records. The auction as a whole-which is now complete-was titled “Music Icons” and also featured items from Steely Dan, The Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan.BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. Frances Bean Cobain ‘s divorce may be settled but she has lost one prized possession to her ex: her father’s famous guitar. In the past Julien’s also sold the green sweater Cobain wore at that performance, netting $334,000. The rare D-18E guitar was previously owned by.
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I purchased a cassette tape of Nirvana 'Unplugged' as soon as it hit the record stores. I watched the original show when it aired on MTV in 1993 and couldn't wait for it to be released. I've been a Nirvana fan for over 20 years and love all their music.
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Both the guitar and its case were personally customized, by Cobain, prior to his MTV appearance.Īuction winner Freedman was quoted by Julien’s as saying he “immediately knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure” the guitar “and use it as a vehicle to spotlight the struggles that those in the performing arts are facing and have always faced.” The guitar Kurt Cobain played during his 1993 MTV Unplugged performance is being auctioned, and is expected to sell for at least 1 million. Of all the Nirvana dvd's available, 'MTV Unplugged in New York' is my absolute favorite.
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Cobain purchased this guitar and its vintage hardshell case at Voltage Guitars in Los Angeles. The “brush” chosen by Cobain was his 1959 Martin D-18E guitar, and it was the only guitar he used throughout the entire MTV Unplugged performance. Perhaps the most important decision Cobain made for his MTV Unplugged performance was the “brush” he chose to paint the self-portrait that would ultimately be recognized as his greatest work. After Kurt Cobain died five months later. Julien’s Auctions gave an excellent description of this guitar’s place in the history of rock:
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Winner Peter Freedman, Founder of RØDE Microphones, also got Cobain’s original case, a half-empty pack of guitar strings, picks, and a suede bag. Peter Freedman, Founder of RØDE Microphones, won at auction today for $6,000,010 the Martin D-18E guitar used by Kurt Cobain in Nirvana's legendary MTV Unplugged performance! #RODE #JuliensAuctions #KurtCobain #Nirvana #Guitar #Auction #MTV #WorldRecordĪ post shared by Julien's Auctions Official on at 4:44pm PDT