“I sold my guitar, to the girl next door.”
- Gun/Uncle Tupelo
On this day in 2023, Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler's 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar sold at Christie's Auction House for $879,000. Knopfler donated 120 of his guitars and amps that brought in a total of $11 million dollars. All the money went to four different charities. Not bad for a guy who never took a lesson.
$879,000 is a hefty sum for a guitar, all right, but it's nowhere close to the most expensive guitar ever sold. It barely makes the Top 20. Who's guitar is it, do you suppose, that brought the most and how much?
Before I reveal the answer, I want to note the passing of Demond Wilson. Wilson played son Lamont Sanford from 1972-1977 in the classic TV show, Sanford and Son. He teamed along with Redd Foxx as father Fred G. Sanford and a loony and memorable supporting cast, to create a groundbreaking comedy. Under no circumstances could that show be made today and that it part of why it is a beautiful and rare gem. Wilson was 79. Rest in peace “you big dummy!”
Okay, the most expensive guitar ever sold: Kurt Cobain's Martin D-18E sold in 2020 for $6,010,000. The guitar was used during Nirvana's famous performance in 1993 on MTV's Unplugged. Actually, the second most expensive guitar ever sold also belonged to Cobain, his Fender Mustang used in the now near mythical video, Smells Like Teen Spirit sold for $4,550,000.
Save up!