Eric Clapton's The Fool becomes one of the most expensive guitars ever at auction
It fetches seven figures under the hammer
Last updated 17th Nov 2023
Eric Clapton’s iconic guitar The Fool has become one of the most expensive six-string instruments ever sold under the hammer.
The 1964 custom-painted psychedelic Gibson SG sold for a whopping $1.27 million (£1.03 million) at Julien’s Auctions on Thursday 16th November as part of their three-day music auction event ‘Played, Worn and Torn: Rock N' Roll Iconic Guitars and Memorabilia’ at the Hard Rock Café in Nashville.
Exceeding its pre-auction estimate of $1 million, The Fool is the most expensive Eric Clapton guitar ever sold, and it’s the first time one of his instruments has fetched seven figures.
Eric Clapton played The Fool on the majority of Cream’s recordings in the 1960s. It was painted for him by Dutch design collective The Fool, (from who it got its name) after Cream's manager asked them to work on instruments and costumes for the band. When the supergroup broke up, Clapton gave it to George Harrison who passed it to Jackie Lomax.
In the 70s and 80s it was owned and stage played by Todd Rundgren, who called it “Sunny” after Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ until he sold it at auction in 2000.
The guitar was acquired by The Jim Irsay Collection in Indianapolis with Larry Hall, Chairman of the world-renowned collection who bid on behalf of Jim Irsay.
A portion of the auction proceeds of the Fool Guitar will go towards Kicking The Stigma, The Indianapolis Colts and Irsay Family’s mental health awareness initiative.
“Eric Clapton’s The Fool, one of the most important guitars in all of rock music history has made history once again tonight at our auction,” said Darren Julien, President/Chief Executive Officer of Julien’s Auctions.
“To have this legendary guitar that created and defined the classic rock sound that is an art masterpiece and symbol of the psychedelic ‘Summer of Love’ era go to Jim Irsay’s renowned memorabilia collection is another great privilege and hallmark of my career and a highlight of Julien’s Auctions twenty-year anniversary celebration this year.”
Julien’s Auction’s three-day sale in Nashville featured over 1,000 items owned and used by the likes of Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Prince, The Beatles, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Pete Townshend, Johnny Cash, Albert King, Dolly Parton, Eddie Van Halen, Frank Zappa, Dee Dee Ramone, Slash and Kirk Hammett.
Julien’s Auctions made headlines worldwide with its sale of Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic electric guitar, which sold for $6 million in 2020 making it the world’s most expensive guitar ever sold at auction.
The 12 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.