11 Most Expensive Acoustic Guitars in the World

Which are the 11 Most Expensive Acoustic Guitars in the World? Some people collect art, others collect antiques, and others are on the look for unique instruments around. Some of them you can find at our 11 Most Expensive Guitars in the World list.

Searching through the Internet for the most expensive acoustic guitars, we couldn’t find any concrete results. We went through blog posts like the ones done by Vintage Guitar, Leftyfretz, The Momi, and Christie’s, amongst others. Surprisingly, not all of these instruments were necessarily owned by a celebrity, where you could expect really high prices, or sold at an auction. Instead, this article also includes items that are available in manufacturer product lines. This list was done selecting the most expensive items sold (at auctions or private sales) and estimates of the actual price of some of these items, as the values have surely changed over time. 

11. 1950 Stromberg Master 400

$140,000

Hank Risan, guitar collector, sold this piece to an anonymous collector for $140,000. Today, fewer than 300 Stromberg guitars remain available.

10. Martin’s ‘History of Flight’ custom inlaid guitar

$150,000

This guitar was made as tribute to the accomplishments of the 20th century regarding space travel. The instrument includes designs space-themed, like an astronaut with the earth behind.

9. 1942 Martin D-18 Acoustic Guitar

$152,312

This guitar was owned by Elvis Presley in the early 1950s, and he used it in the recording of some of his first hits. The auction’s estimate was of $184,620 – $200,005, and it ended up selling for $152,312. More information about this guitar, you can find here.

8. 1931-’36 Martin D-28

$140,000 to $170,000

According to the site Vintage Guitar, which makes a list every year of the most expensive guitars that are not celebrity owned, the Martin D-28 has one of the highest prices, with values that go from $140,000 to $170,000.

7. C.F. Martin and Company 1966, Style OOO-28/’45 Conversion’

$186,700

This was one of Eric Clapton’s guitars, apparently one of his favourites acoustic. It was sold at the 2004 Eric Clapton Christie’s Guitar Auction, which ended up garnering $7,438,624 million.

6. D’Aquisto Blue Centaur

$250,000

Half way down our list of the most expensive acoustic guitars, we have the one made for the collector Scott Chinery, for his project “Blue Guitar”. The estimated value of the instrument is of $250.000, but, according to Chinery’s collection curator, the piece is not for sale.

5. 11930 Martin OM-45 Deluxe

$300.000

This guitar was sold at a New York auction, which had extremely low results, the OM-45 Deluxe included. It was described as the “Holy Grail” of guitars, the estimate being $1,750,000 – $2,000,000, and it ended up selling for just $300.000. Still, it was the only “big sale” of the night.

4. 1936-’42 Martin D-45

$320,000 to $400,000

The Martin D-45 is one of the most expensive guitars and performers like Neil Young have used it. One of the elements used to make this instrument is Brazilian Rosewood, listed as “vulnerable” at the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

3. D’Angelico New Yorker Teardrop

$500,000.

Scott Chinery, a guitar collector, bought the D’Angelico New Yorker in 1993 for $150.000,  and estimates the current value of the instrument at $500.000. More information about this beautiful guitar you can find here.

2. Martin OM-45 Deluxe

$554,500

This guitar was previously owned by the singer Roy Rogers, it was estimated that it would sell between $150,000 – $250,000, and it ended up selling for $554,500. For more details about this exquisite guitar check out this Christie’s page.

1. Eric Clapton’s CF Martin & Co, circa 1939

$791,500

At the end of our 11 Most Expensive Acoustic Guitars in the World, we have a guitar owned by none other than Eric Clapton, used at his MTV Unplugged show. This instrument was sold at an auction in order to raise money for the Crossroads Rehabilitation Center, and reached the amount of $791,500, surpassing by far the estimate of $80.000 and becoming one of the most expensive guitars ever sold. You can found out something more about this very expensive guitar on this page.