Top 10 Most Expensive Guitars In The World 2023
If you like guitars, you know that they can be quite expensive.
Better woods, pickups and strings, as well as build quality and craftsmanship all add up when you start climbing the ranks of the guitar world.
However, you won't find any of these guitars at your local guitar store, that's for sure because they are some of the best quality guitars in the world!
From guitars played by rock legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to custom one-offs for Jerry Garcia; here is a list of the 10 most expensive guitars in the world!
Top 10 most Expensive/Costly Guitars In The World
The following list of guitars and classes is compiled from various sources on the web such as Money Inc, String Joy and Guitar Player.
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Here are the 10 most expensive guitars in the world:
- Stratocaster - $2.7 million
- John Lennon's 1962 Gibson J-160E Acoustic Electric - $2.4 million
- Jimi Hendrix's 1968 Fender Stratocaster - $2 million
- Jerry Garcia's Wolf - 1.9 million dollars
- Bob Marley's Washburn 22 Series Hawk - $1.2 million
- 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer - $1.1 million
- Keith Richards 1959 Les Paul - $1 million
- Bob Dylan's New Port Folk Festival 1964 Fender Stratocaster - $965,000
- Eric Clapton's Blackie - $959,000
- Doug Irwin's Tiger commissioned by Jerry Garcia - $957,50
10. Doug Irwin Tiger custom by Jerry Garcia
Price: $957,500
Jerry Garcia is the guitarist for The Grateful Dead. He played his custom Doug Irwin guitars for a full decade, from 1979 to 1989. Its name Tiger comes from a custom painting of a tiger head that Jerry commissioned on the body of the guitar.
The custom Doug Irwin was the last guitar Jerry played in public; this is one of the reasons why it fetched such a high price at auction. In 2002, Guernsey Auctioneers sold Jerry Garcia's custom Doug Irwin Tiger at auction for $957,500 to Indianapolis Colts owner and CEO Jim Irsay.
9. Blackie by Eric Clapton.
Price: $959,000
Next on the list is Blackie, Eric Clapton's famous three-part guitar medley.
Eric Clapton is said to have decided to buy six guitars, giving one each to Pete Townsend, George Harrison and Steve Winwood. Clapton then assembled parts from the three remaining guitars to create Blackie.
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It became his most famous guitar, recorded in the studio and played in countless live performances. After a good run, Clapton retired Blackie in 1985 and sold it at auction in 2004 for $959,000.
8. Bob Dylan's Newport Folk
Price: $965,000
As the first electric guitar played live by Bob Dylan, there is no doubt that this guitar has important historical value.
It marked the history of his own fans calling him out on stage because they weren't impressed with his guitar choices.
They were so used to acoustic versions of all his songs that they made sure to let him know when he took the stage at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.
This Dylan playing and guitar sampling marked his beginnings with more electronic instruments.
Due to who owns this guitar and the history behind it; A 1964 Fender Stratocaster sold at auction for a whopping $965,000.
7. Keith Richards 1959 Les Paul
Price: $1 million
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Keith Richards 1959 Les Paul is the seventh most expensive guitar in the world.
Standard 1959 Les Pauls are well over six figures and not backed by a big name, and there aren't that many to date.
However, this particular piece was performed by Keith Richards during the Rolling Stones' debut performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, an important moment in rock and roll history.
Many famous bands and artists owe their success in part to their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, and collectors and memorabilia investors understand how such events can add significant value to items like Keith Richards' 1959 Les Paul.
With that in mind, the guitar sold at auction in 2003 for a whopping $1 million.
6. 1958 Gibson Corina Explorer
Price: $1.1 million
The value of this 1958 Gibson Korina Explorers can be attributed to the fact that it features three of the best guitarists in the world.
Slash, Kirk Hammett and Rick Neilson have all played this guitar at some point in their careers and it's unique to say the least.
Only about 10 of these guitars were produced, so when you combine the rarity and unusual shape of this guitar with the history of the game, it's easy to see why it fetched $1.1 million at auction.
The 1958 Gibson Korina Explorer is the sixth most expensive guitar in the world.
5. Bob Marley Washburn Episode 22 The Hawk
Price: $1.2 million
Bob Marley's Washburn 22 Series Hawk is number five on our list of the world's most expensive guitars. Bob Marley, perhaps the most famous reggae artist of all time, only owned seven guitars during his lifetime.
One of those guitars was this Series 22 Hawk Washburn; he gave it to his guitar mechanic Gary Clausen. The Jamaican government, which declared the guitar a national treasure, is rumored to have bought it at auction for $1.2-2 million.
However, the actual location of the guitar remains unknown.
4. Wolf by Jerry Garcia.
Price: $1.9 million
Jerry Garcia's second guitar on our list of the world's most expensive guitars is another custom Doug Irwin nicknamed Wolf. Like his custom Doug Irwin, the Tiger takes its name from the custom wolf pattern on the guitar's body.
The sale of the wolves, which sold for nearly $2 million at auction in 2002, was part of a fundraiser for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Today, a wolf can be worth more depending on its condition.
3. Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster from 1968
Price: $2 million
Compared to some of the other guitars on this list, the standard right-handed Stratocaster in Olympic White finish is nothing special.
However, it was performed by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969; his legendary performance of The Star-Spangled Banner was performed here. Because of its unique history, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen bought the guitar in 1998 for about $2 million.
This is one of those things you definitely want to do if you can!
2. John Lennon's 1962 Gibson J-160E Acoustic Electric
Price: $2.4 million
The only acoustic guitar to make our list of the world's most expensive guitars, it must be something special, omg it really is!
John Lennon's 1962 Gibson J-160 E Acoustic Electric Guitar is one of a pair of nearly identical acoustic guitars; Bought in London in 1962 by John Lennon and George Harrison.
It was used to co-write Beatles songs such as I saw her standing there and She Loves You with Paul McCartney.
After the Beatles performed in 1963, the guitar somehow disappeared and was considered lost, but it reappeared a few years later.
From its original purchase price of £161 in 1962, the acoustic guitar was auctioned off in 2014 and sold for a staggering $2.41 million to an anonymous bidder.
1. Going Asia Fender Stratocaster
Price: $2.7 million
The title of the most expensive guitar in the world belongs to the Reach Out To Asia Fender Stratocaster, which was sold in 2015 for 2.7 million dollars.
This guitar is the result of Bryan Adams' Reach Out To Asia project; an organization that helped victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
About 230,000 people were killed in 14 countries. This guitar is unique because it has the signatures of some of the most famous rock stars engraved on the body.
A total of 19 artist signatures including Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Brian May, David Gilmour, Jeff Baker Signature, Liam Gallagher, Angus and Malcolm Young and Bryan Adams.
The Reach Out To Asia was sold at Sotheby's in 2015 for $2.7 million, making it the most expensive guitar in history!
SUMMARY
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 10 most expensive guitars in the world.
As with most memorabilia or collectibles, previous owners, important dates and events, and unique custom designs seem to play a large role in the valuation of such items.
What you play, perform and record with is more important than anything else when it comes to guitar.
You are buying a piece of history and someone else's history, which depending on the importance can be almost priceless!
