The guitar Kurt Cobain used in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, which was the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, has been donated to the London Royal College Of Music.
The guitar in question is the rare Martin D-18E, an electro-acoustic model that was modified for the grunge icon’s left-handed playing style. He famously played it during the iconic MTV Unplugged set in November 1993, and according to Courtney Love, it was the last guitar he played before his took his own life in 1994.
After his death, it was passed on to his daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, and it then transferred to Isaiah Silva during a divorce settlement in 2018. He later sold the guitar at Julien’s Auctions in June 2020 for $6,010,000 (£4.51million) – making it the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
It was bought by Peter Freedman AM, owner and founder of audio company RØDE Microphones and the Freedman Group. He is also the founding supporter of the Royal College of Music’s Australia Commonwealth Scholarship Fund, and has confirmed that he will be donating the instrument to the Royal College of Music in London. (NME reports)
