Notable users included Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Frank Zappa and, later, Kurt Cobain. Overview Originally an accordion manufacturer, Hagstrom started making guitars and basses in Sweden starting in the late '50s. Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) was an American musician and artist.He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the grunge band Nirvana. Vintage guitar expert George Gruhn has confirmed the guitar is an authentic Hagstrom Deluxe. Biography of Kurt Cobain (excerpt) Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 (birth time source: Craft, Astrodatabank, birth certificate) – died on April 5, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the guitarist, primary songwriter and frontman of the rock band Nirvana. The guitar in question is one of Cobain’s lesser known pieces of gear, a vintage Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe that Cobain owned from 1992 until he died in 1994. Kurt Cobain owned the antique Hagstrom from 1992 until his death in 1994. The axe in question is a one-of-a-kind, left hand-converted Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe guitar, which came into Cobain's possession in 1992. Kurt Cobain would have been 50 years old this month, and to honor the rock legend one of his guitars is going up for a special auction. More than twenty years after the death of rock legend and Nirvana front-man Kurt Cobain, a one-of-a-kind guitar, owned and played by the artist himself, will be available for auction – exclusively on eBay. Cobain was raised 108 miles southwest of Seattle by auto mechanic … The guitar, which had rarely been played, eventually found its way to Black Book Guitars. BA1 1UA. There was a problem. This is the full story of his last days. The guitar was most likely acquired around mid-November, while the band played around West Germany, and it was destroyed relatively quickly, on November 27, 1989, at Piper Club, Roma, Italy. “Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club,” said Kurt Cobain’s mother, Wendy O’Connor, on April 9, … For the rest of the tour, Kurt relied mostly on a black Washburn Force 31. Hagstrom launched as a musical instrument maker in Sweden in 1925. Over 20 years since the Nirvana's frontman's death, another of Kurt Cobain's guitars is set to go under the hammer, this time, a Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe. Thank you for signing up to Guitar World. Pat Smear has never forgotten his punk rock roots. The guitar is the real deal, with Nirvana’s former guitar tech Earnie Bailey reassuring confirmation that he “hand-delivered the 1958-era instrument to Cobain in Seattle in 1992 at the musician’s request.”. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Teenage Wrist's Marshall Gallagher delivers a cornucopia of shoegazey lead lines in this playthrough of Taste of Gasoline, “After locating this one, I told him of several other 1960s Italian-made sparkle finish guitars in local shops, and he requested that I buy every one that I could find,” Bailey says. The auction ends February 26, and anyone who wants to bid must be prequalified. Another guitar previously owned by a dead rock star is up for auction and this instrrument belonged to the ill-fated Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Support your favorite online guitar chronicle by getting yourself some awesome shirts! Kurt played this Hagstrom for a few gigs during Nirvana’s first European tour in late 1989, but it was acquired before the band departed for Europe, as it was seen sitting on a stage on a gig played on September 30, 1989 at Cabaret Metro, Chicago. Nirvana tech Earnie Bailey with Kurt's Hagstrom Deluxe . With the late musician’s 50th birthday in sight, a guitar from his own private collection is set to be auctioned off on eBay. Hank Williams brought poetry to country, Elvis brought flash to blues, and Kurt Cobain and his iconic band Nirvana restored the credibility of rock in the 1990’s. In honor of Kurt Cobain’s would-be 50th birthday, Black Book Guitars in Northern Portland will auction off his guitar—specifically, the coveted Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe. Kurt played this Hagstrom for a few gigs during Nirvana’s first European tour in late 1989. According to the auction description, Cobain played this Hagstrom in the early Nineties. The company started out making accordions but added electric guitars to its lineup in the late Fifties in response to the popularity of rock and roll. Based on photos, the guitar featured a red finish, two single-coil pickups, and a stop tail-piece (usually these guitars seem to have a tremolo bridge). GroundGuitar counts on your criticism and feedback. Hagstrom stopped production in 1983 but resumed in 2004 in response to interest and demand. It's sculpted set-neck, all mahogany construction with a rosewood fingerboard. Christopher Scapelliti We’d love to stay in touch, sign up for the Guitar World team to contact you with great news, content and offers. After having been a member of Nirvana and an on again, off again member of the Foo Fighters, he still reminds himself of his first band from 1976-1980 Germs.. On Smear’s signature Hagstrom Guitar he added a small subtle nod to the Germs.. See it? Incidentally, it was the same pick ups that Kurt Cobain had installed in his dual humbucker guitars. The Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe guitar once owned by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain. Kurt’s Ibanez Firebird and Hagstrom guitars sitting on stage. Which was thanks in no small part to the contributions of their visionary frontman, Kurt Cobain. One of them, a Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe, made between 1958-60, has hit a timed eBay auction, and is currently rocking bidders. That little blue circle around the toggle switch…that’s the Germs logo. All rights reserved. The American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis is highlighting music this summer with an exhibit of guitars by legendary Swedish guitar-maker, Hagstrom, whose instruments were played by David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley and others. Is Alex Lifeson planning to auction off his guitar collection? His custom Fender Mustang guitar, which he played during the “In Utero” tour in 1993 sold for $340,000. American musician, lead singer whose anguished lyrics helped sell millions of records featuring the gritty sound of grunge rock 'n roll of "Nirvana," a head banging punk metal band formed in 1991. The guitar, which has a Blue Sparkle finish, is being offered by vintage guitar shop Black Book Guitars in Portland, Oregon, which has authenticated the instrument not once but twice. 17 February 2017. These Seymour Duncan’s sound absolutely scorching and you can see why Pat Smear opted to have these pick ups installed in his Hagstrom H11N when he joined Nirvana. Based on sources online [All the H’s I-II-III], Kurt’s guitar was likely a model made sometime in the 1960s, as it featured switches for the pickups, instead of the dials which were introduced in the 70s. The guitar that he used in Mtv unplugged sold for $6,010,000 Million including fees. A Hagstrom Deluxe solidbody electric guitar once owned by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is up for auction on eBay. Bath A Hagstrom Deluxe solidbody electric guitar once owned by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is up for auction on eBay. The auction doesn’t say who that person was except that they performed with “a prominent Northwest band.”. After his death in 1994, Courtney Love, his widow, gave the guitar to one of Cobain’s friends. Kurt played this Hagstrom for a few gigs during Nirvana’s first European tour in late 1989, but it was acquired before the band departed for Europe, as it was seen sitting on a stage on a gig played on September 30, 1989 at Cabaret Metro, Chicago. Additionally, Nirvana guitar tech Earnie Bailey, who bought the Hagstrom for Cobain in late 1992, says the instrument is the same one he purchased for the guitarist. Kurt Cobain’s left-handed Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe guitar is up for grabs, via an eBay auction.. Bailey, who’s shown with the guitar in the video below, says Cobain called him to ask if he could find this specific model for him. Guy Davis played a H22 acoustic guitar and was used in promotional material in the 1970s. Black Book Guitars will donate 10 percent of the auction sales to Transition Projects, a Portland-based non-profit organization that helps the city’s homeless transition to steady housing. On April 8, 1994, the discovery of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's suicide by shotgun inside his Seattle home rocked the world. The instrument was made famous due its appearance on the Nirvana MTV Unplugged performance, a show that was filmed and released as an album. Cobain’s death marked, in many ways, the end of the brief grunge movement and was a signature event for many music fans of Generation X. By The guitar, a Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe, came into Cobain’s possession in late 1992. 1970s Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3 (Maple neck), Fender Stratocaster (Black, smashed during “Endless, Nameless”), Fender Stratocaster (Black, SD Hot Rails), Fender Stratocaster (Sunburst, Reading Festival), Fender Stratocaster (White, Seattle Coliseum), Univox Hi-Flier Phase 4 (Heart Shaped Box), Fender Competition Mustang (right-handed). Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Kurt Cobain MTV Unplugged Martin The guitar started life as a 1959 Martin D-18E and was eventually modded by the left-handed guitarist by adding Bartolini pickups. Kurt Cobain's Hagstrom Blue Sparkle Deluxe Guitar was owned by the Nirvana frontman in 1992, and then gifted to a close friend by Courtney Love in 1994 following his death. With … The most iconic guitars used by Kurt Cobain were his Fender Mustang and Jaguar guitars as well as the Martin D-18 he played on the legendary Nirvana MTV unplugged performance, but he played many others throughout his career. It is said to be a Christmas gift Cobain bought himself. You will receive a verification email shortly. Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the guitarist, primary songwriter and frontman of the rock band Nirvana.Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona, Cobain's compositions widened the thematic conventions of mainstream rock music. According to eBay, Cobain acquired the Hagstrom in 1992 from Nirvana guitar tech Earnie Bailey. “I have inspected this vintage Hagstrom guitar and confirm it to be one that I purchased and converted to left handed orientation for Kurt Cobain of Nirvana,” he states.