Guitars

Christie’s is the global stage for the most iconic guitar auctions in history, offering instruments by Fender, Gibson, Martin and more, from legendary musicians including Nile Rodgers, Johnny Marr, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler and The Beatles.

Christie’s has sold the three most expensive guitars in history, all from the legendary collection of the late Jim Irsay, which Christie’s was honoured to auction in March 2026, becoming the most valuable collection of guitars and memorabilia ever. David Gilmour’s iconic ‘Black Strat’ set a new world record when it sold for $14,500,000, whilst Jerry Garcia’s ‘Tiger’ set a new record for a Jerry Garcia guitar and a Doug Irwin guitar, and Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang, seen in the music video for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, exceeded the previous world record set by Cobain’s ‘Unplugged’ guitar just 5 years previously. In addition to these record-breaking electric guitars, Christie's achieved remarkable results for acoustic guitars including the Gibson J-45 Janis Joplin used when performing her standout track ‘Me and Bobby McGee,’ Eric Clapton's Martin 1939 000-42 from his MTV Unplugged performance and David Gilmour's favourite guitar, his Martin D-35.

Combining musical heritage, exceptional craftsmanship and legendary provenance, our guitar auctions have captured the imagination of collectors and music lovers worldwide. Other standout lots include Eric Clapton’s iconic custom ‘Blackie’ Stratocaster, Prince's custom yellow ‘Cloud’, Mark Knopfler’s sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul, and Jeff Beck’s 1954 ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul.