The guitar Kurt Cobain used in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance, which was the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, has been donated to the London Royal College Of Music.
The guitar in question is the rare Martin D-18E, an electro-acoustic model that was modified for the grunge icon’s left-handed playing style. He famously played it during the iconic MTV Unplugged set in November 1993, and according to Courtney Love, it was the last guitar he played before his took his own life in 1994.
After his death, it was passed on to his daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, and it then transferred to Isaiah Silva during a divorce settlement in 2018. He later sold the guitar at Julien’s Auctions in June 2020 for $6,010,000 (£4.51million) – making it the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
It was bought by Peter Freedman AM, owner and founder of audio company RØDE Microphones and the Freedman Group. He is also the founding supporter of the Royal College of Music’s Australia Commonwealth Scholarship Fund, and has confirmed that he will be donating the instrument to the Royal College of Music in London.
The donation will be done in memory of his father, Henry Freedman, and means that one of the most iconic artefacts in rock music history will now be on display at the performing arts and music institution.
It will join the other historic instruments held by the conservatoire, including the oldest-surviving guitar in existence, made in Lisbon in 1581 by Belchior Dias.
Lord Guy Black, James Williams and Jennifer Brian of the Royal College of Music with Peter Freedman AM. CREDIT: Chris Christodoulou
According to the Royal College of Music, there are now plans for a new international touring exhibition to open in 2026 that will allow music-lovers to see Cobain’s guitar. This will follow on from the RCM Museum holding an exhibition about the grunge icon called Kurt Cobain: Unplugged, which drew in over 15,000 visitors.
“The Royal College of Music is deeply grateful to Peter Freedman for his incredible generosity in gifting the College Kurt Cobain’s Martin D-18E guitar,” said James Williams, Director of the Royal College of Music.
“This asset opens future opportunities to share the Kurt Cobain: Unplugged exhibition with an international audience; it is also emblematic of Peter’s unstinting support for the performing arts and his steadfast belief in the power of education to transform lives.”
Freedman shared: “I am delighted to gift this iconic guitar to the Royal College of Music so that they might realise the guitar’s value and profile for the benefit of young musicians at the RCM and reach people around the world.
“This gift is dedicated to my father Henry who loved music and London, and it’s an honour for me to support the next generation of musicians.”
The news of the Martin being donated after selling for a record-breaking amount comes following news in September that previously unseen footage from a 1990 Nirvana gig would be hitting the auction block too.
The video dated back to February 17 1990, when the trio performed at The Iguanas in Tijuana, Mexico, and Bonhams predicted it would sell for between $100,000 and $150,000 (£74,000-£110,000).
More recently, The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman revealed that his most treasured possession is a lock of Cobain’s hair, which was given to him by Courtney Love as an incentive to be more sensible.
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