Kurt Cobain’s guitar from Nirvana’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ to go on display in London
A 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar, once owned and played by Nirvana songwriter Kurt Cobain is set to go on display in London for the very first time. Previously, in 2020, the guitar sold at auction for $6 million, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold.
Peter Freedman, the CEO and chairman of Røde Microphones, bought the guitar in 2020 and has now loaned it out to The Royal College of Music in London. The guitar will feature in an exhibition at the college, opening in June, which will also include items of Cobain’s clothing, loaned to the exhibition by Courtney Love.
Like many heroes of the grunge age, Cobain’s usual weapon of choice was the Fender Mustang, or occasionally a Fender Jaguar. However, for the band’s 1993 appearance on MTV Unplugged, the songwriter opted for a Martin D-18E electro-acoustic guitar.
The model itself was already fairly unique, being one of only 301 made by Martin in 1959. Additionally, the guitar had been heavily modified by Cobain to suit his left-handed playing style, and the band’s guitar technician reportedly added an extra pickup to the body.
Nirvana’s appearance on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent album which was released in the wake of the performance, was a seminal moment in rock history.
Although the band were pressured to play their big hits, Cobain and the gang instead chose to perform various cover songs and deep-cuts, including versions of David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, and Lead Belly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’.
The Unplugged performance was made much more profound when, only five months later, Cobain tragically took his own life. His death shocked the music world, particularly given the all-encompassing influence of the grunge outfit during the early part of the 1990s. Following his death, MTV regularly re-ran the Unplugged show, solidifying its profound and iconic nature.
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