The 10 Most Expensive Guitars Ever Sold

There are 2.5 million new guitars sold in the United States each year and another 750,000 in the United Kingdom. But a massive (and growing) user base appreciates the craftsmanship, tone, and provenance of a vintage guitar.

It’s not surprising almost all the guitars in the top 10, by price paid at auction, have been played by some of the most famous musicians of the last century – from Eric Clapton to Paul McCartney.

Our list below has been drawn from publicly available resources online – generally auction house websites. We’ve also listed a few private sales of some particularly outstanding guitars (OK we cheated a little bit, it’s not just auctions).

1. Fender “Reach Out to Asia” Stratocaster

$2,700,000

• Sold: November 2005
• Auction house: “Reach out to Asia” charity auction
• Auction info
• View other Fender Stratocaster’s

2. 1962 Gibson J-160E (John Lennon)

$2,400,000

• Sold: November 2015
• Auction house: Julien’s
• Auction info
• View other Gibson J-160E’s

3. 1968 Fender Stratocaster (Jimi Hendrix)

$2,000,000

• Sold: 1998
• Auction house: Private sale (unconfirmed)
• View other Fender Stratocaster’s

4. Washburn 22-Series Hawk (Bob Marley)

$1,200,000

• Sold: ?
• Auction house: Private sale (unconfirmed)

5. 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Keith Richards)

$1,000,000

• Sold: 2006
• Auction house: Private sale (unconfirmed)
• View other Gibson Les Paul Standard’s

6. 1964 Fender Stratocaster (Bob Dylan)

$965,000

• Sold: December 2013
• Auction house: Christie’s
• Auction info
• View other Fender Stratocaster’s

7. Fender ‘Blackie’ Stratocaster Hybrid (Eric Clapton)

$959,500

• Sold: June 2004
• Auction house: Christie’s
• Auction info
• View other Fender Stratocaster’s

8. Doug Irwin Tiger (Jerry Garcia)

$957,500

• Sold: May 2005
• Auction house: Guernsey’s

9. 1964 Gibson ES335 TDC (Eric Clapton)

$847,500

• Sold: June 2004
• Auction house: Christie’s
• Auction info
• View other Gibson ES-335’s

10. 1939 Martin 000-42 Acoustic (Eric Clapton)

$791,500

• Sold: June 2004
• Auction house: Christie’s
• Auction info
• View other Martin 000-42’s

Other Guitars (not owned by celebrities)

Guitars once owned by celebrities will always command very high prices. But guitars produced in limited runs or holding particular significance can often exchange hands for hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars. We have 12 guitars in our database of which only 1 of that model was made.

A mint condition 1958 Gibson Explorer can set you back around $600,000. Or a 1937 Martin D-45, of which there were only two made, has an estimate of $440,000.

We have 1000’s of guitars priced below $500 if your budget doesn’t stretch that far.