The renowned electric guitar David Gilmour frequently used in Pink Floyd albums and as a solo artist, famously referred to as the “Black Strat,” was sold for a staggering $14.55 million US during a recent live auction at Christie’s, setting a new record for the highest-priced guitar ever auctioned.
An unidentified buyer successfully acquired this iconic instrument after a competitive bidding process lasting around 20 minutes. This sale broke the previous record set at a Julien’s auction in 2020, where Kurt Cobain’s Martin guitar from MTV Unplugged fetched $6.01 million.
Gilmour acquired the black Fender Stratocaster off-the-shelf in 1970 in New York as a replacement for Pink Floyd’s stolen equipment during a U.S. tour. Over the years, this guitar became his primary instrument, used on almost all recordings unless a different sound was required, as revealed by Gilmour in a 2018 interview with BBC Radio’s Matt Everitt.
Despite undergoing various modifications and customizations, the “battered and beat-up” Black Strat gained attention again during Pink Floyd’s reunion at Live 8 in London’s Hyde Park in 2005 after a stint at the Hard Rock Café for exhibition.
Gilmour mentioned to Christie’s in 2019 that the guitar had been a platform for his experimental work over the years and decided to auction it to raise funds for charity. The Black Strat was purchased by Jim Irsay, owner of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, for $3.975 million. The recent auction featured a range of iconic guitars, instruments, and music memorabilia from the late Irsay’s collection, who passed away in 2025.
This auction was part of a series of four events this month showcasing the eclectic collection of the late music enthusiast, often touted as one of the world’s greatest guitar collections.
In addition to the Black Strat, other guitars also made headlines during the auction. The custom guitar Jerry Garcia played, including his last performance with the Grateful Dead, was sold for $11.56 million. Another notable sale was one of Kurt Cobain’s guitars used on Nirvana albums and in the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video, which fetched $6.9 million. Two Eric Clapton guitars, including a Cream-era Gibson SG and the Martin acoustic from MTV Unplugged, also made it to the top 10 list of most expensive guitars sold at auction.
All 44 lots offered at the auction were successfully sold, with the total proceeds for the evening surpassing $84 million, including the auction house’s commission.