A battered and broken black Fender Stratocaster guitar, owned by Kurt Cobain and gifted to his friend Mark Lanegan from fellow Washington grunge greats Screaming Trees, after all three members of Nirvana had signed it, has sold at auction for almost $600,000.
According to the auction house, Cobain gave the guitar to Lanegan during the North American leg of Nirvana's Nevermind tour in 1992.
Featuring a hand-written dedication from Cobain, who was spelling his forename 'Kurdt' when he first met Lanegan, reading - “Hell-o Mark. Love, your pal Kurdt Kobain. Washed up Rock Star" - and autographed by Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, the guitar had been expected to reach an estimated price of $60,000-$80,000 when listed by auction house Julien's Auctions. But at the May 20 auction held at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York, the bidding peaked at $596,900. The identity of the guitar's new owner has not been made public.
