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Kurt Cobain’s guitar Martin D-18E will be shown in the Royal College of Music Museum in London as part of an exhibition on Nirvana’s groundbreaking “MTV Unplugged” appearance.
The show opens on June 3, 2025 and for the first time offers the opportunity to see Cobain’s most famous guitar up close. From April 30th you can book tickets, the (international) rush should grow up.
According to the organizer, visitors can be put on a waiting list to find out when the ticket sales begin.
Even if the exhibition is generally concerned with the musical heritage of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, the focus is on his “MTV Unplugged” guitar. In 2020 it became the most expensive guitar that ever sold at an auction. The Australian entrepreneur Peter Freedman, founder of Røde Microphones, acquired them for $ 6 million and now provides them for the show.
Kurt Cobain’s cardigan is also shown
Not only the Martin D-18E, but also another cult subject of the MTV broadcast, which is one of the best known of the format, can be seen. Cobain’s famous olive green Mohair tricks, which he wore during the 1993 appearance, is also exhibited. Both objects have never been publicly seen together.
In addition, there is also a look at a selection of Nirvana concert posters, vinyl panels and the upper part of a soundboard from another guitar from the same series. The event is curated by rock journalist and rolling-stone author Alan di Perna.
The Royal College of Music Museum also houses the oldest guitar in the world. The exhibition is accompanied by a number of events. Works by students who are inspired by the Cobain guitar will be heard, there will be workshops and concerts.
Why is the “MTV unplugged” guitar so valuable?
Kurt Cobains Martin D-18E is a rare model and one of the first Martins that was equipped with electric tone customers. The version of the Nirvana singer was specially modified for his left-handed playing style. According to Courtney Love, it was the last guitar that Cobain played before his death. At first she remained in the possession of his daughter Frances Bean Cobain, whom she kept in a secret safe in Seattle together with the rest of Cobains.
In 2018, Frances Bean’s ex-husband, Isaiah Silva, received the guitar as part of a divorce agreement. In June 2020 she was finally auctioned.
The MTV gig caused a sensation in 1994 as “MTV Unplugged in New York”. The record sold over eight million times and became one of the most famous live albums. It was the first posthumous LP of Nirvana.