The holy grail of guitars

The six-string musical instrument that has added melody and magic to lyrics creating mesmerising music has grown to create value for itself in millions. Guitars which have touched the hands of legendary artistes like The Beatles, Clapton and Richards, have gone on to become some of the sought after instruments for collectors. And no gold, silver or diamond can soot up the value of a guitar as much as the name of the artist associated with it. From the collection of John Lennon, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, and others, we bring you a list of the most expensive guitars and the interesting story behind the price tag.

Keith Richards’ 1959 Les Paul Standard—  $1 million
Keith Richards was the lead guitarist of one of the most popular English band The Rolling Stone and the guitar in question — Les Paul Standard was among the best in the market. The particular guitar was used to record songs like Little Red Rooster, Time is on My Side, The Last Time, Get Off My Cloud, that went on to be their earliest hits. The guitar got stolen in 1971 and changed hands a few time. It later found its way to a Christie’s auction in 2004 and was sold to an anonymous collector, who again sold it to a private collector a couple of years later, fetching a million dollars.

Bob Marley’s Washburn 22-Series Hawk – $1.2 million
One of the most iconic singers of the world, Bob Marley surprisingly owned only seven guitars over the span of his career. In 1971, the signer presented the guitar to his guitar technician Gary Carlsen who then founded a charity and gave the guitar away as a lottery prize. The estimated price of the guitar is said to be from $1.2 million to $2 million. The instrument is declared as a national treasure by the Jamaican government.

Fender “Reach Out to Asia” Stratocaster — $2.7 million
When Fender Stratocaster guitar was sold for $2.7 million at an auction in Qatar, it broke the world record for being the most expensive guitar ever sold. Not a part of any singer’s personal collection, but for a cause by Reach Out to Asia foundation, the guitar was signed by Bryan Adams, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and Brian May.

John Lennon's Gibson J-160E — $2.4 Million
With Beatles shooting to popularity, everything related to the band had dollar signs on them. The guitar used by John Lennon while recording the albums ‘Please Please Me’ and ‘With the Beatles’ was lost for 40 years. The guitar was originally bought by the band’s manager in 1962 and was left behind after a concert just a year later. It is one of the earliest and significant guitars in John Lennon’s career and was sold at an auction in 2015 for a whopping $2.4 million, almost three times to its estimated price of $800,000.

Jimi Hendrix’ Fender Stratocaster - $2 million
The popular guitarist picked up his Fender Stratocaster and rocked the stage at the Woodstock music festival in 1969. Jimi made history by playing his rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' with this guitar. The instrument was then said to be with the drummer named Mitch Mitchell for about three decades. When the guitar finally made a re-appearance in 1990, it was sold for just under a million dollars. Later in 1998 Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is said to have paid two million dollars for the iconic piece of history.