Kurt Cobain’s black-and-white Fender Stratocaster from Nirvana’s final tour is projected to sell for upwards of $140,000 (£97,681) at auction.

The guitar was used during the band’s February 16, 1994 gig in Rennes, France.

Advertisement

According to CooperOwen Auctions, the guitar was given to the seller following the band’s February 16, 1994 gig in Rennes, France.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research about this guitar,” the seller writes. “According to James ‘Jim’ Vincent, Kurt’s guitar tech from Dec. 93 onwards, Kurt had five of these lefty black and white Strats, shipped by Fender specifically for the end-of-set jamming and destruction, as they were cheap and they were scared he would otherwise smash his new Mustangs.

https://twitter.com/coauctions/status/719528990541787137

Advertisement

The selling continues, saying that the guitar wasn’t used during the band’s European tour but dates back to Nirvana‘s final American tour the previous year.

Two of the five Strats were destroyed, although the pieces were later sold by Vincent. One of the five guitars remained unused, while two were smashed, repaired and still playable; of those two guitars, Vincent still has custody of one, and the other is in the Cooper Owen auction.

The online auction runs at CooperOwen‘s until May 20.

The May 2016 issue of Uncut is now on sale in the UK – featuring our cover story on PJ Harvey’s new album, Brian Wilson, The National’s all-star Grateful Dead tribute, Jack White and T Bone Burnett’s American Epic, Cate Le Bon, Donovan, Jean-Michel Jarre, Cheap Trick, Graham Nash, Heartworn Highways, Sturgill Simpson and more plus 40 pages of reviews and our free 15-track CD

Uncut: the spiritual home of great rock music.