The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

[SlyFoxx]

(I'm excluding anything ridiculous like a diamond encrusted strat)

I think a case could be made that it's Brian May's Red Special. A unique axe made by the player gigged and recorded for half a century.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

One of the celebrity owned Bursts. Pearly Gates, Jimmy Page's, Peter Green's, etc.

A non famous example goes for hundreds of thousands, and based on Clapton's Brownie & Blackie auctions, I think those previously mentioned '58/'59 Les Pauls would go for an absolute fortune.

 

[BTMN]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Kirk Hammett recently bought the Gary Moore/Peter Green LP I believe. No mention of price anywhere but he has it out on tour IIRC.

A true 1959 LP Standard all original in great working order or a famous musician's guitar might be the most expensive guitar. Others might be considered priceless and therefore even more valuable in the long run. So "most expensive" is a relative thing.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Beautiful guitars with pedigree to be sure but not unique. But I suppose more people might want a LP.

Anyhoo...we can't really know...just interesting to contemplate.

 

[Nacho8807]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

If EVH's Frankie ever went up for auction I bet it would fetch a pretty penny.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Hamster, really?

I tried to keep up with all the drama back in '06, but the hype was lost on me. Supposedly the PG guitar went for $2M (or that was the asking), but I don't see how it could command that kind of coin.

Jimmy's #1
Pearly Gates
SRV's "first wife"
Hendrix Woodstock strat
Blackie
Frankie

These are the guitars that would bring the rain.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Blackie sold for $959,500 in 2004.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Blackie sold for $959,500 in 2004.

Yes, but would certainly break that price if offered tomorrow.

 

[Kam]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Kirk Hammett recently bought the Gary Moore/Peter Green LP I believe. No mention of price anywhere but he has it out on tour IIRC.

That's a ****ing tragedy.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

I think a case could be made that it's Brian May's Red Special. A unique axe made by the player gigged and recorded for half a century.

Yes. One reason it's not insured is because of its irreplacability. Though Brian has several close replicas now, they don't get used unless a different tuning is called for or a string breaks.

All the others mentioned, despite their rarity in some cases, are fundamentally production guitars.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Yes. One reason it's not insured is because of its irreplacability. Though Brian has several close replicas now, they don't get used unless a different tuning is called for or a string breaks.

All the others mentioned, despite their rarity in some cases, are fundamentally production guitars.

All the others are also one of kind... their status as being production built in moot. Only one guitar ever played the star spangled banner at woodstock... only one guitar was ever played on VH1. From the angle of "the most valuable guitar" a guitars notoriety and provenance outweigh where it was produced. All the guitars mentioned would be stupidly valuable assigning a dollar figure would be close to impossible

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Though if I were to vote for a most valuable guitar that lacks some sort of provenance provided by its attachment to a famous muscian I would vote for the D'angelico tear drop.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

I've enjoyed Kirk's music a lot over the past twenty-something years, and he seems like a decent guy but he's bats*** crazy for taking that LP out on tour.

 

[stringbender11]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

By far it would be the Hendrix Woodstock Strat, imo. Even people not into music or guitars know Hendrix's name.

Next would be my diamond encrusted Strat I decided not post about after reading the OP.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

didn't one of Bob Dylan's guitars recently sell for close to a million?

 

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

didn't one of Bob Dylan's guitars recently sell for close to a million?

It certainly did. Beat out Blackie.
$965,000.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

The worlds most valuable guitar is widely considered to be Mark Twain's 1835 Martin (at $15-$17 million!)

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

I don't know about 'most valuable', but certainly up there should be John Lennon's 59 Capri, which was rare to begin with - my understanding is only 2 were produced; his refin Casino, and his LP jr with the Charlie Christian neck PU; George Harrison's 'Rocky' psychedelic 64 Strat; any of Les Paul's prototype Epiphone clunkers or 'personal' Gibson Les Paul guitars.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Buddy Holly's original guitar (I think there were a couple stolen before he owned his last).

 

[Zombiemetl]

Re: The world's most valuable electric guitar. Discuss.

Kirk Hammett recently bought the Gary Moore/Peter Green LP I believe. No mention of price anywhere but he has it out on tour IIRC.

I think its great he takes it out...they were ALWAYS meant to be PLAYED!