What guitar does Kurt Cobain use?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 15, 2026
Electric Guitars
Did Kurt Cobain use a Stratocaster?
One recognizable guitar is the Fender Stratocaster that Kurt played at the Reading Festival on August 30, 1992 in the UK. Cobain was no stranger to using this style of guitar, but this was his first time using a sunburst Stratocaster.
What acoustic guitar Did Kurt Cobain have?
Cobain played the retro acoustic-electric 1959 Martin D-18E during a legendary MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, just five months before he died. At $6.01m after fees, the guitar is the most expensive ever sold at auction, Julien's Auctions said.
What guitar did Kurt Cobain use for Smells Like Teen Spirit?
The guitar — a 1969 Fender Competition Mustang in a color known as Lake Placid Blue — is currently part of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay's extensive collection of rock memorabilia, and will be auctioned off to benefit the NFL team's Kicking The Stigma mental health awareness campaign, per the Associated Press.
Did Kurt learn guitar?
As an adolescent, he reportedly took just a month of guitar lessons — enough to learn the riff to AC/DC's “Back in Black” and figure out “Louie Louie” and “My Best Friend's Girl” later on. We all know the rest.
30 related questions foundHow much is Kurt Cobain's guitar?
In June 2020, the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar Cobain played during Nirvana's “MTV Unplugged” performance in 1993 in New York sold for US$6 million at Julien's Auctions, making it the world's most expensive guitar sold at a public auction.
What is a Mustang guitar?
The Fender Mustang is a solid body electric guitar produced by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. It was introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models, the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990.
How many guitars did Kurt destroy?
Two guitars played (and smashed) by Kurt Cobain sell for almost $300,000. One of them even features some Dave Grohl-penned poetry. Two guitars that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain played and then smashed – one into pieces – have sold at Julien's Auctions for a total of $281,000.
What does SG mean on a Gibson guitar?
The design process of the Les Paul gave birth to another famous Gibson model called the SG or “Solid Guitar”. Once again inspired by competition from Fender, the Gibson SG was created to compete with Fender's lighter, slimmer guitars.
Did Kurt Cobain play a right handed guitar?
Kurt Cobain mostly played with his left hand. He occasionally played with his right hand and he wrote with his right hand. So, since Cobain was able to use both hands well, our verdict is that he was an ambidextrous left handed guitarist.
What guitar did Nevermind record with?
Kurt Cobain's Guitars
On Nevermind, Cobain played a 1960's Fender Mustang, a Fender Jaguar with DiMarzio pickups and Fender Stratocasters with humbucker bridge pickups. Prior to beginning to record 'Nevermind', Kurt purchased a 1969 Lake Placid Blue 'competition' Mustang with matching blue headstock.
What guitar did Eddie Van Halen play?
Van Halen used custom equipment throughout his career. His original choice of guitar was a Gibson Les Paul, for which he replaced the original P90 pickup on the bridge with a humbucker in order to sound like Eric Clapton. He is most associated with the Frankenstrat, a custom guitar he built from parts.
Who has smashed the most guitars?
Matthew Bellamy of Muse has the Guinness world record at breaking the most guitars in one tour, with 140.
Is a Mustang a Stratocaster?
Stratocasters differ from Mustangs primarily due to their extra single coil pickup, more regular shaped body and longer scale length. Mustangs tend to sound a bit warmer than Stratocasters which sound quite bright. Both models have 22 frets, single coil pickups and a similar C-shape neck.
What is the Fender Mustang?
The latest Mustang features a 24-inch scale length, a "C"-shaped maple neck with 22 medium jumbo frets, two single-coil pickups, a master volume, a tone cotrol and a three-way pickup switch. It's available in black, olive and Olympic White.
Is a Fender Mustang small?
Industry professionals technically label the guitar as a “medium” scale, but players will notice the shorter neck. Today's Mustang generally has a 24-inch scale with 22 frets. It's comparable to the Fender Jaguar in size, which also has a shorter-than-average scale at around 24 inches.
Where is SRV guitar now?
After Stevie Ray's death, Rene replaced the new neck with Number One's original and the guitar was given back to Stevie's family. It now belongs to Stevie's brother, Jimmie.
Who owns the rights to Nirvana?
When Nirvana singer and lead songwriter Kurt Cobain died in 1994, his widow, rocker Courtney Love, became the primary beneficiary of his estate, which includes more than ninety-eight percent of the band's publishing rights. Band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were left with part of the remainder.
Whats the most expensive guitar?
Gilmour's iconic black Stratocaster was purchased by Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay, for a whopping $3.9 million, during a David Gilmour auction in New York in June (2019). This makes it the most expensive guitar ever sold!
When did Kurt Cobain smash his first guitar?
Kurt's Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3 guitar was used during the Bleach tour in 1989 and smashed on July 13, 1989 at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken, N.J. On that particular night, there were less than a dozen people in the crowd, but those lucky few had quite the surprise when Cobain began to smash it before their eyes.
Did Kurt Cobain have any music training?
In an interview with BBC Music from this past November, former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl said he's pretty sure Cobain never had any formal musical training. But Cobain went to a vocal coach at least one time that he knows of.
What bass guitar did Nirvana use?
Nirvana's Krist Novoselic is known for his love of the Gibson Ripper bass, a guitar made in the 1970s. He owned three of them during his Nirvana days, and still enjoys playing that particular model today.
What chorus did Nirvana use?
In 1990, after the recording of 'Bleach', Kurt Cobain got the pedal that supplied some of the most memorable moments in his career - the Electro-Harmonix Small Clone chorus.