A guitar that helped shape some of the most beloved music ever recorded just sold at auction for $14.55 million, shattering the previous world record and cementing its place in history. The instrument is a black 1969 Fender Stratocaster known simply as the Black Strat, and it was the primary guitar of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour for more than a decade. It was used to record six of the band’s albums, including The Dark Side of the Moon, and its sound is woven into some of the most recognizable moments in rock history. Gilmour purchased it in New York City and used it on every Pink Floyd album from 1972 to 1983, as well as all four of his solo records, treating it less as a precious artifact and more as a working tool he was always happy to tinker with, changing its neck six times and drilling holes in its body whenever he felt it needed improving.
The guitar shattered the previous auction record for any guitar, which had been set at just over $6 million in 2020, meaning the Black Strat more than doubled that figure in a single evening. It was sold as part of a massive collection of music, sports and pop culture memorabilia belonging to the former owner of the Indianapolis Colts, and the final price stunned even experienced auction insiders who called it a record-breaking night. The Black Strat had actually been sold once before, fetching just under $4 million at an earlier auction also held for charitable purposes, meaning its value has grown nearly fourfold in just a few years. Despite the staggering price, Gilmour himself has always described it simply as a working guitar he loved to experiment on, a well-worn creative partner rather than a monument to be protected behind glass.
