The legendary “Black Strat” once played by David Gilmour has once again made history, becoming the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction after fetching an astonishing $14.55 million. The iconic instrument, closely associated with Gilmour’s work in Pink Floyd, was sold during a high-profile auction at Christie’s, breaking previous records for a guitar sale.
The Black Strat is not just any guitar. The heavily modified 1969 Fender Stratocaster became one of the most recognizable instruments in rock history after Gilmour used it throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. It can be heard on some of Pink Floyd’s most celebrated albums and songs, including The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and the unforgettable solo on Comfortably Numb.
Gilmour originally purchased the guitar in 1970 at Manny’s Music store in New York. It was bought to replace another guitar that had been lost during a tour with Pink Floyd in the United States. Over the decades, the instrument underwent numerous modifications, including neck changes, pickup replacements, and electronic tweaks that helped shape Gilmour’s distinctive tone. Despite these changes, the guitar retained its instantly recognizable look and became a defining tool in his musical arsenal.
The guitar had already made headlines once before. In 2019, Gilmour auctioned more than 120 instruments from his personal collection to raise money for environmental charity ClientEarth. During that sale, the Black Strat was purchased for $3.975 million, setting a record at the time for the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
The buyer then was American businessman and music memorabilia collector Jim Irsay, who added the instrument to his extensive collection of historic music artifacts. The Black Strat quickly became one of the centerpiece items of the Jim Irsay Collection, which includes instruments once played by some of rock’s most influential artists.
Following Irsay’s death in 2025, many items from his renowned collection were placed back on the auction block. When the Black Strat returned to the auction stage, anticipation among collectors and fans was enormous. The final hammer price of $14.55 million shattered previous records and once again cemented the instrument’s legendary status.
With its deep connection to Pink Floyd’s golden era and some of the most iconic guitar moments in rock history, the Black Strat is widely regarded as one of the most important instruments ever used in popular music. Its latest record-breaking sale only reinforces how powerful its legacy remains decades after those classic recordings were made.
