This neck comes from Kurt Cobain's Aria Pro II Cardinal guitar which was played by him on stage on various occasions, including at The Masquerade, Atlanta, Georgia, 6 May, 1990; Stache's, Columbus, Ohio, 9 May, 1990; and Duffy's Tavern, Lincoln, Nebraska, 13 May, 1990. Cobain eventually smashed this guitar on stage at the Motor Sports show in Seattle on 22 September, 1990. The vendor of this neck was in the front row at the gig and caught the neck as it flew off.

According to Earnie Bailey, Kurt Cobain's guitar technician, Kurt Cobain's Aria Pro II Cardinal is often mistakenly identified as his orange Vantage Les Paul-style guitar as both Aria and Vantage guitars were made at the same Japanese factory in the 1980s and are similar in style.

Christie's would like to thank Earnie Bailey for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.