“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of history”: Jim Irsay’s billion-dollar guitar collection is going to auction, with legendary instruments from Kurt Cobain, Eric Clapton and David Gilmour up for grabs

Kurt Cobain's 1969 Fender Mustang electric guitar photographed at Hard Rock Cafe on April 28, 2022 in London, England.

The greatest guitar collection on Earth is set to be sold next spring when artefacts from the late Jim Irsay – widely considered to be one of the most renowned gear collectors of his time – go up for auction.

For guitar fans, Irsay’s collection needs no introduction. It’s not a stretch to say it’s perhaps the most culturally significant and historically important assortment of guitars to ever be curated. The list of guitars included in the collection reads like the stock inventory of a museum.