David Gilmour reveals new album plans and says he's open to Sphere residency
He's "building up towards" a new record
Pink Floyd legend and esteemed solo musician David Gilmour says he’s “slowly building up towards a new album”.
The guitarist, singer and songwriter, who turns 80 next March, released his fifth studio record ‘Luck and Strange’ to widespread acclaim in September 2024. It was his first long-player in nine years.
In a wide-ranging new interview with Rolling Stone to promote his new concert film ‘Live at the Circus Maximus, Rome’, David Gilmour strongly hinted that fans might not have to wait too long for his next album.
David said: “I’m slowly building up towards a new album, and I have quite a bit of material that is in some sort of formative stage. That’s what’s keeping me busy at the moment.”
Asked if he will use the same band from the last album and tour, David responded: “At the moment that I start recording, I do it pretty much all myself and I work on Pro Tools.
“I don’t play the drums all that well, and I do that with machinery in the modern tradition. And I put things together so that I can fiddle around for months, adding little bits, taking things away till I think that I’ve got something close to where I want it.
“I then can take it into a studio with a bunch of people and know exactly what I want to do and how I want to get it done and present it to these people for their input.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Gilmour confirmed he has no plans to play more live dates in support of ‘Luck and Strange’ in addition to the 23 he has already performed.
“Well, I did London, Rome, New York, and L.A.,” David said. “I did a week in each place. Quite a lot of people. I think at this point of my life in the business, I can be a bit more demanding about people coming to me rather than me going to them. And I didn’t want to do a big long tour. Being out on the road as they call it for months on end is something that’s in my past.”
Commenting on whether he’d play at the innovative Sphere venue in Las Vegas, David said: “Well, to be honest, I really know almost nothing about what it does. But they have been on and suggested that I might do something there. But in the future, who knows. I haven’t got that far.”
When the interviewer noted it would be “really special” if he played the Sphere, David added: “Well, it will be in there amongst the plans that we are to think about.”
The 16 most expensive guitars of all time:
20 - Duane Allman’s 1957 Gibson Les Paul
The Goldtop 1957 Gibson Les Paul guitar that the late-great Duane Allman used to record 'Layla' alongside Eric Clapton, sold for $1.25 million (£1.03 million) in August 2019. First purchased by Allman in early 1969, it's the fabled guitar on which he learned and perfected his slide style. It was his primary instrument on the first two Allman Brothers albums, and for the 'Layla' album by Derek & The Dominos.
19 - George Harrison's Futurama electric guitar
George Harrison's heavily played Futurama electric guitar that The Beatles legend bought for £58 in 1959 - £1,146 in today's money - sold at Julien's Auctions in Nashville, Tennessee for $1.27million (£1.03 million) on 20th November 2024. Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's Auctions, said: "George Harrison's iconic Futurama guitar, one of the most important guitars in rock and roll history and formative to The Beatles' sound, has made history at today's auction. We're beyond thrilled to add this Harrison guitar to the Julien's Auctions' million-dollar club, which already includes guitars from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Kurt Cobain."
18 - Jeff beck's 1954 ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul
Jeff Beck's legendary 1954 'Oxblood' Gibson Les Paul sold for £1,068,500 ($1,315,708)at the Jeff Beck: The Guitar Collection sale at Christie's in London on 22nd January 2025. It set the world record as the most expensive Gibson Les Paul sold under the hammer. Not too far behind Oxblood in the sale was Jeff Beck's custom 'Anoushka' Stratocaster that reached £1,008,000 - 50 times its pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
17 - Kurt Cobain's Skystang I guitar
Kurt Cobain's Skystang I guitar he played at his final Nirvana show before his death in 1994 sold for $1,587,500 (£1,271,730) at auction in Nashville in November 2023. Cobain first played his electric Fender Skystang I guitar on 18th October 1993 at the Arizona State Fair Veteran's Memorial Coliseum during the In Utero tour, and he performed with it at his final concert on 1st March 1994 at Terminal 1 in Munich. The guitar bought by Mitsuru Sato who bid via the phone at the Julien's Auctions' sale held at Hard Rock Café, Nashville.
16 - David Gilmour’s 1954 Fender Stratocaster
David Gilmour's 1954 White Fender Stratocaster #0001 used on Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 2 and 3)' sold for $1,815,000 (£1,493,000) on an estimate of $100,000-150,000 at the David Gilmour Guitar Collection auction at Christie's in New York in June 2019. For a few fleeting hours it was the most expensive Fender ever until another famous David Gilmour guitar kicked it out of the park…
15 – Jerry Garcia‘s Wolf Guitar
Jerry Garcia's famous Wolf Guitar sold at auction for $1.9 million (£1.57 million) in June 2017 in New York. Its buyer was Brian Halligan, Chief Executive of software company HubSpot and a keen Grateful Dead aficionado. Proceeds from the sale of the Wolf guitar went to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a charity specialising in civil rights and public interest litigation. Customized by master luthier Doug Irwin, and labelled "D. Irwin 001", Wolf was delivered to Jerry Garcia 50 years ago and first appeared in public during a 1973 New York City performance the Grateful Dead gave for the Hell's Angels.
14 – Peter Green’s Greeny
Fleetwood Mac legend Peter Green bought 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard for sixty guineas after being asked to join John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in the mid-60s. He played it on Fleetwood Mac classics including 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)' and 'Albatross' before selling it to fellow guitar virtuoso Gary Moore in 1970. Moore played it throughout his solo career and time with Thin Lizzy, however he was forced to sell it in 2006 due to financial difficulties. Guitar dealer Phil Winfield bought it for somewhere between $750,000 and $1.2 million before selling it for $2 million (£1.65 million) to a private collector. Metallica's Kirk Hammett bought Greeny in 2014 for less than $2 million and he still performs with it to this day.
13 – Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fender Stratocaster
The white 1968 Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix famously played at Woodstock in 1969 was purchased by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for a cool $2 million (£1.65 million) in 2000. Keen guitarist and collector Allen, who passed away in 2018, donated the fabled instrument to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle where it's still on display today.
12 - George Harrison’s Gibson ‘SG’ Standard guitar
George Harrison's Gibson 'SG' Standard guitar used extensively by The Beatles legend from 1966 to 1968 sold for $2,271,000 (£1.72 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
11 - David Gilmour’ Martin D-35 guitar
David Gilmour' Martin D-35 guitar used to record Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' sold for $2,393,000 (£1.8 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
10 – John Lennon’s Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric guitar
John Lennon's long-lost acoustic Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric guitar, which he used on The Beatles' 'Please Please Me' and 'With the Beatles' albums, fetched $2,410,000 (£1,992,000) at auction in November 2015. The guitar had been owned since 1969 by a man called John McCaw who purchased it from a friend called Tommy Pressley who in turn, two years earlier, had bought it for just $175. McCaw was completely unaware it originally belonged to John Lennon until he stumbled across a photograph of The Beatle performing with it in a 2012 copy of Guitar Aficionado magazine. Realising its importance (and worth), McCaw put it up for auction.
9 - Reach Out to Asia Fender Stratocaster
The Reach out to Asia Fender Stratocaster became the most expensive guitar ever in 2005 when it fetched $2,700,000 (£2,232,000) under the hammer in Qatar. Proceeds went to the charity Reach Out to Asia, which was set up to help victims of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. The guitar was signed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davies, Liam Gallagher, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Angus and Malcolm Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams.
8 - John Lennon's 'Help!' guitar
A Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar was used by John Lennon on songs such as 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', and for the album 'Help!' sold for $2.9 million (£2.3 million) under the hammer at Julien's Auctions in New York in May 2024. Believed to be lost for 50 years, it's also the most expensive Beatles instrument ever sold.
7 - Eric Clapton's The Fool guitar
Eric Clapton's iconic guitar The Fool sold for $3 million (£2.26 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
6 - Eddie Van Halen's 'Hot For Teacher' Kramer
Eddie Van Halen's custom-made Kramer electric guitar that he played in Van Halen's seminal 'Hot for Teacher' sold for a massive $3,932,000 (£3,167,343) under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York in April 2023. One of the most iconic guitars of the MTV era, the stage used and filmed guitar was custom made by Paul Unkert of Kramer Guitars for Eddie Van Halen.
5 - Eric Clapton's "MTV Unplugged" 1939 Martin 000-42
Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin 000-42 he played for his legendary MTV Unplugged performance in 1992 sold for $4.1million (£3.09 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
4 - Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar
One year on from the world-record sale of David Gilmour's Black Strat, Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar sold for a massive $6,010,000 (£4,960,000) at auction in June 2020 and became the World's Most Expensive Guitar in the process. It retained the title for almost four years when the Black Strat reclaimed its crown. The late-great Nirvana frontman played the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar for the band's MTV Unplugged set at Sony Music Studios in New York City on 18th November 1993 – just five months before his untimely death aged 27.
3 – Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang Guitar
Kurt Cobain's famous Fender Mustang guitar he played in Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video in 1991 became the third most expensive guitar ever sold under the hammer in March 2026. It sold for $6,907,000 (£5.21 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction at Christie's in New York. The 1969 Fender Mustang Competition Lake Placid Blue Finish Electric Guitar previously sold for $4.5 million (£3.7 million) at Julien's Auctions in New York as part of their Music Icons auction in 2022.
2 - Jerry Garcia's Tiger guitar
Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia's custom built 1979 electric guitar, known as 'Tiger', sold for $11.56 million (£8.71 million) in March 2026 to become the second most-expensive ever. It was only eclipsed by David Gilmour's Black Strat, which sold for $14.55 million (£11 million) on the same day as part of The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction.
1 – David Gilmour’s Black Strat
David Gilmour's fabled guitar, The Black Strat, set the world record for the World's Most Expensive Guitar again in March 2026 when it fetched a massive $14.55 million (£11 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction at Christie's in New York. The figure far exceeds the $3,975,000 it fetched under the hammer at Christie's in London in June 2019, and it was the most expensive guitar of all time for exactly one year. It was eclipsed by the $6,010,000 paid for Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar in June 2020 – however that tally has now been more than doubled by the Black Strat.