Kurt Cobain’s ‘MTV Unplugged’ guitar donated to Royal College of Music

Kurt Cobain’s famous 1959 Martin D-18E guitar, played during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performance and known as the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, has been donated to the Royal College of Music in London, The Guardian reports.

The guitar was gifted by Peter Freedman AM, founder of RØDE Microphones, in memory of his father, Henry Freedman. Freedman bought the instrument in 2020 for more than $6 million, setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a guitar.

The donation brings one of rock music’s most important artefacts into the Royal College of Music, which is ranked the world’s top institution for performing arts in the QS World University Rankings.

Plans are underway for Cobain’s guitar to appear in an international touring exhibition starting in 2026. It follows the success of the museum’s recent show, Kurt Cobain: Unplugged, which drew more than 15,000 visitors from across the UK, Europe and North America.

“I am delighted to gift this iconic guitar to the Royal College of Music,” Freedman said, adding that the donation honours his father and supports the next generation of musicians.