Auctions featuring some of the beloved items once owned by the biggest stars in the music industry is very common and the most recent instrument which was up on sale was reportedly sold for millions of dollars; how much was Eddie Van Halen's guitar worth?
According to Billboard, the iconic red, white, and black-striped guitar used in the music video for the track "Hot For Teacher" was sold by the auction house Sotheby's.
The website stated that the guitar was custom made by Kramer's Guatars' Paul Unkert and there have been "important innovations" customized for the unique guitar technique of the musician at the time.
An unnamed bidder was able to snag the instrument for a whopping $3,932,000 after closing on Tuesday. It was initially priced between $2 million to $3 million.
The price appears to be reasonable as it's considered to be "one of the most iconic guitars of the MTV era."
Eddie Van Halen's Guitar
Based on the description, the instrument is a double-cut "strat" style body which features a single double-coil Seymour Duncan humbucker pickup as well as volume controle.
It also has a "Floyd Rose bridge with whammy bar, unvarnished 22 fret maple bolt-on neck (stamped 'UNK' on heel) with Kramer sticker on headstock, unvarnished body and headstock spray painted with Van Halen's characteristic black and white abstract stripe design on a red ground."
Aside from the actual guitar itself, which was made of poplar wood, the original case with tags of tour and Warner Brothers were also included.
The instrument was believed to have been finished around 1982 and was given to Eddie Van Halen the following year. He used it from 1983 to 1984.
In addition to the guitar, the unnamed buyer was also able to get the white straitjacket and white gloves worn by the musician himself from the official music video.
Auctions in the Music Industry
Auction is very common in the music industry as several memorabilia have already been sold in the past. One of the most recent items that were up for sale was David Bowie's handwritten "Starman" lyrics for more than $46,000.
Another popular item was Kurt Cobain's guitar which he used in the music video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
Jim Isray, the owner of Indianapolis Colts, was the one who bought the prized possession for a whopping $2 million."
The businessman is popularly known for having a big collection of guitars that also include David Gilmour's Black Strat, Bob Dylan's Stratocaster, and many more.
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