Posted on 03/13/2026 8:20:51 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
Pink Floyd singer/guitarist David Gilmour’s iconic “Black Strat” electric guitar set an all-time record on Thursday (March 12) during a Christie’s auction in New York when it became the most expensive guitar ever sold. According to The New York Times, the guitar that was a key part of such classic Floyd albums as 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon, 1975’s Wish You Were Here and 1979’s The Wall sold for $14.55 million to an online bidder in a 21-minute bidding war, more than doubling the previous record-holder, late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E acoustic guitar which he played on MTV Unplugged just months before his April 1994 death, which sold for $6.01 million in 2020.
At press time the buyer was not identified.
Gilmour’s instrument can be heard on such beloved Floyd songs as “Money,” “Comfortably Numb” and “Shine on Your Crazy Diamond” and it easily smashed the pre-sale estimate of $2-$4 million. According to the Times, the black Fender Stratocaster purchased by Gilmour in 1970 from New York’s beloved Manny’s Music store in Manhattan is covered in scratches and chipped paint from decades of use; Gilmour played it on every studio recording from 1972-1983, as well as during many live performances in that period.
The guitar was one of a number of high-profile items that went under the gavel on Thursday as part of a sale of items from late Indianapolis Colts owner and pop culture memorabilia super-collector Jim Irsay, who died last year. Irsay bought Gilmour’s guitar in 2019 during a previous Christie’s auction for just over $5 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
“Gilmour has sold a number of his guitars for charity, so I wonder if this one was for charity as well?”
Gilmour was not a party to this transaction.
“$14.5 Million for the personal guitar of a Classic Rock Star! How much do you want to bet the buyer either doesn’t know how to play the guitar at all, or he hasn’t progressed past the “My Dog Has Fleas” training wheel levels.
But hey now. he’s rich with tons of disposable income.”
Silly post. The guitar was not bought to be played.
And “My Dog Has Fleas” has nothing to do with guitars.
Googled ...
During the post Roger Waters era, David Gilmour switched to several vintage reissue Stratocasters from Fender. The most notable one being a candy apple red Stratocaster fitted with EMG pickups. The Black Strat was promptly retired and put on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas, Texas. The guitar was returned to Gilmour in the late 1990s, but having not been displayed in a glass case during its time at the Hard Rock Cafe, it sustained significant damage and the theft of many of its parts. Due to the constant modifications, the only original part on the guitar, apart from the body, is believed to (possibly) be the bridge plate.
Performance
After its repair and restoration, Gilmour played the Black Strat again. This includes his On an Island tour of 2006, at Pink Floyd’s reunion at Live 8 in 2005, his Rattle That Lock Tour of 2015–2016, for solos on Pink Floyd’s final album The Endless River, and his 2015 album Rattle That Lock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Strat
Too bad you trashed the stamps, they were probably worth thousands of dollars if your Dad really spent that much.
One dealer does not mean they had no value.
UN stamps can be used at the UN. If you live in NYC, you can use them easily.
Generally preference of the artist. Some configurations just record better and some are lower signal/noise, etc, blah, blah. It's artist/studio preferences.
I had little patience. I was dealing with dozens of moving parts, and stamps were the least of my worries.
When they wouldn’t take them for free, I asked what they recommended I do. They suggested the dumpster out back. So I did.
Watched the auction live last night. I couldn’t believe that price, especially for a partscaster.
True. The correct title is "My Dog Has AIDS" played on a Wes Paul.
” is there a reason he might use one guitar in the studio and another in concert?”
There’s probably a reason or two, but not of the earth-shaking variety. Perhaps one plays a litte better, one stays in tune a little better, one is in a (heavy) anvil-style road case near the door, road-ready, and the other is a back room where he has to get off his ass and go get it.
In concert there are always extra hired guitar players.
?? Extra guitars, as backups, but guitar players?
Aside from their individual brilliance affecting tone quality, British amplification helped. Hendrix used Marshall and Gilmour used Hiwatt. Most players use Strats with Fender amps, resulting in a relatively thin tone by comparison.
Yes. Always a base player after Roger Waters left, usually another guitar player, sometimes an extra keyboard player, and at least once a second drummer (Pulse at Earl's Court?).
Sounds like you had an idiot for a dealer. Most common stamps aren’t worth much, but if your Dad spent thousands, they definitely had some value.
Probably just a signed copy. I see signed guitars all over the place. Just like signed chunks of smashed guitars a rocker will use for one song and smash it on stage. A guitarist would not give up their beloved best guitar.
S&H Green Stamps always had great returns
70 years ago, collecting stamps was a great hobby. There were so many special ones to look for. Now there’s hardly a piece of mail with a physical stamp on it. I had a small album while in jr high school. The mail would come and each piece was scanned for the type of stamp.
I credit stamp collecting as a kid with gaining knowledge about the world, I would research the subject of the stamp. I had lots of foreign stamps, as well.
Just a bit.
I am going to venture a guess that when Willie Nelson dies and the estate decides to sell his beloved Trigger, that it will fetch over $20 million.
Sad to hear about the stamps.
My Mom was a collector of all kinds of stuff. When she died, we could hardly give the stuff way. Now, I have my own huge collection of stuff(not my mom’s), that none of my kids want. It will probably all go to the dump.
Nope
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