Which Kurt Cobain guitar was auctioned off in 2020? Strands of Nirvana frontman's hair to go up for bidding

A new sale from Potter & Potter auctions, called Punks, Monsters Smut & Madmen will reportedly feature the auction of two strands of Kurt Cobain's hair. As per their website, the live bidding will commence on March 6, 2025, at 10 am CST.

Cobain was the lead guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of the grunge band Nirvana and is widely recognized as one of the most influential rock musicians in history.

Kurt Cobain's memorabilia has been known to sell for exorbitant prices in auctions. In 2020, his 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic guitar used in MTV Unplugged sold for a record-breaking $6 million, making it the most expensive guitar ever sold. His cardigan and the plate with the setlist written from the same MTV Unplugged performance fetched $334,000 and $22,400, respectively.

According to Billboard's February 27 report, six strands of Cobain's hair were auctioned off for $14,145 in 2021. This time, only two strands have returned, leading to the speculation that the buyer from 2021 kept the remaining four.

As per the listing, the strands were originally obtained by Cobain's barber Tessa Osbourne while Nirvana was on their Bleach Tour (1989) in Birmingham, England. She later gifted the strands to his close friend Nicole DePolo after Cobain's death.

In addition to Cobain's hair, the auction will also feature relics like GG Allin's blood-signed underwear, signed pieces from punk icons like The Ramones and Dead Kennedys, and the like.

Apart from the Martin D-18E acoustic guitar, which was auctioned off in 2020, Cobain was known to favor the 1969 Fender Mustang, specially customized for him. Another iconic guitar used by the late Nirvana frontman was the 1965 Fender Jaguar. Follow along to find out more about them.

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Exploring the various guitars used by Kurt Cobain throughout the years

Nirvana - Source: Getty

Kurt Cobain has used several iconic guitars during his illustrious career as the Nirvana frontman. Here is a list of three iconic ones used by the Smells Like Teen Spirit hitmaker.

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1969 Fender Mustang

This was Cobain's main guitar and one of the most iconic ones. It was a blue left-handed version (because Cobain was left-handed) with racing stripes painted all over. In a 1992 interview with Guitar World, he waxed lyrical about the 1969 Fender Mustang, claiming it was his "favorite."

“I’m left-handed, and it’s not very easy to find reasonably priced, high-quality left-handed guitars. But out of all the guitars in the whole world, the Fender Mustang is my favorite,” he raved.

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1965 Fender Jaguar

Another guitar used by the Nirvana superstar was the 1965 Fender Jaguar. His initial left-handed model had a Dimarzio PAF pickup in the neck position and a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. However, they were later switched to a Seymour Duncan JB after they were damaged in a 1993 concert.

The guitar also had an additional volume control and had a single Gibson-style switch in place of the original pickup selectors.

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Martin D-18E acoustic

Kurt Cobain used the Martin D-18E acoustic guitar for his MTV Unplugged performance which was reportedly bought in 1993. In that guitar, Cobain replaced the stock DeArmond pickups with a Bartolini 3AV.

Nirvana had also used an acoustic guitar a few times prior to the MTV Unplugged performance. Before the Martin D-18E, Cobain used a Harmony Stella 12-string and modified it to have only five strings. He reportedly bought it from a second-hand shop for $30 in 1989.

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Kurt Cobain died in April 1994 in his home garage. His autopsy report was uploaded online for the public in 2024 and it inferred that the Nirvana frontman had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after using multiple drugs like Valium and heroin. The singer was just 27 at the time of his death.